TikTok users in the United States faced a brief service interruption late Saturday night into Sunday. The app is now working normally for current users. However, new users and those who deleted the app cannot download TikTok from Apple’s App Store at this time. But if you really, really, really want to get it back, here’s how you can do it.
Apple has removed TikTok from its App Store, citing its obligation to comply with local laws. This decision follows recent legal issues related to how the app operates in the United States.
President Trump has provided assurances to tech companies that the law banning TikTok would not be enforced, which prompted US host Oracle to restore service on Sunday. However, Apple has not followed suit by reinstating the app in its store.
Legal expert Alan Z. Rozenshtein explains why Apple’s cautious approach may be justified, as reported by 9to5Mac.
- Promises aren’t legally binding: Even if the President says he won’t enforce a law, courts usually don’t consider this a solid guarantee. This means companies can’t rely on such promises to protect themselves from legal trouble.
- The President can change his mind: The current President could decide to enforce the law at any time or use it selectively against companies he doesn’t favor. This unpredictability makes it risky for companies to ignore the law.
- Future administrations can still take action: Even if the current President doesn’t enforce the law, the next administration could still punish companies for violations that happened during this time. They have up to five years to do so, which means companies could face consequences long after the initial promise was made.
The financial risks of not following the rules are significant. Senator Tom Cotton stated that companies like Apple and Google could face penalties as high as $850 billion. This amount would come from fines of $5,000 for each user who accesses TikTok.