Apple Inc. is extending the duration of TikTok and other ByteDance Ltd. apps on its U.S. App Store by at least 75 days following the Trump administration’s promises.
The extension follows U.S. officials’ near-final agreement to develop a US-based TikTok that U.S. investors would primarily own, which was canceled because Trump decided to impose tariffs on U.S. trading partners.
Moreover, Trump has shifted his stance, claiming to have a “warm spot” for TikTok after previously advocating for its ban because of worries about its Chinese ownership.
Apple added TikTok back into its app store in response to Trump’s shift in stance
According to people with knowledge of the situation, Attorney General Pam Bondi recently wrote to Apple that President Donald Trump’s executive order that will prolong the pause on a TikTok ban in the United States was to be strictly adhered to.
In addition, Trump shared an X post on his Truth Social platform highlighting that he signed an Executive Order to provide TikTok with an extra 75 days of operation because the deal needed more work to ensure all required approvals were signed.
Following receipt of a similar letter from Bondi that offered assurances regarding a January executive order from Trump that initially paused the ban, Apple reinstated TikTok in its app store in February. The app remains accessible on Google Play, the Alphabet Inc. store for Android smartphones.
However, a Google representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The tariffs Trump imposes on U.S. trading partners prevented a U.S.-based TikTok deal from working effectively
U.S. lawmakers pushed the first ban on TikTok at the United States Congress amid fears that the Chinese ownership of the app could be put to use to spy on U.S. citizens.
Trump recently loosened policies that earlier supported the ban, as he signed the order in January, saying, “I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I did not have originally.”
Amid these developments, a group of U.S. investors—including Oracle Corp., Blackstone Inc., and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz—submitted a proposal to President Trump and other senior officials, positioning themselves as leading candidates to acquire TikTok.
According to a report citing two people familiar with the meeting, the proposal sent a clear signal of their intent during discussions with Trump and other top officials.
In the meantime, analysts also commented on the topic, stating that the deal as proposed would grant new outside investors 50% of TikTok’s U.S. business in a division that would be separated from ByteDance.
TikTok’s parent company’s existing U.S. investors would also own about 30% of the company, bringing ByteDance’s ownership to just under 20%.
Meanwhile, China introduced new regulatory measures to tighten control over data flows. As part of a broader push to strengthen data sovereignty and enhance national security, the country recently enacted laws requiring companies to share data with the government upon request—underscoring Beijing’s intent to assert greater oversight over exported information.
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