TikTok returned to the United States Apple and Google app stores Thursday evening after being removed on Jan. 18.
The Chinese-owned social media platform was taken down after its leadership temporarily suspended U.S. operations in response to a national security law that went into effect the next day.
Nearly a month later, TikTok is once again available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Internet service providers like Apple, Google, and Oracle could have faced severe penalties for violating the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
The law, signed by former President Joe Biden in April, required China-based ByteDance to divest its U.S. TikTok operations by Jan. 19 or risk an effective ban of the app in the country.
In January, the Supreme Court backed the Biden administration, stating that “Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
TikTok challenged the Supreme Court’s decision and carried out its threat to shut down U.S. operations unless the Biden administration intervened.
The app was restored after President Donald Trump postponed enforcement of the ban. On his first day in office, he signed an executive order extending the law’s deadline by 75 days to April 5.
Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that he wants the U.S. to hold a 50% ownership stake in a joint venture to “save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up.”