Simple mistake leaves some US users still locked out of TikTok days after ban was lifted
Many iPhone users are left annoyed after a simple mistake left them unable to get TikTok back following its ban in the US.
On Saturday evening, TikTok went dark for its 170 million American users, displaying a message that the app was no longer available.
Just 12 hours later, the Chinese-based app announced its return, sharing a hopeful message to its users: "We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!"
However, many took the blackout to mean the app was gone for good and deleted it from their phones. Unfortunately, those quick to pull the trigger were met with shock when they tried to reinstall it from the App Store.
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Some confused and frustrated users turned to an Apple discussion thread to find an answer.
"I deleted TikTok once I heard that it would be banned because I thought it would be it then it was announced that TikTok had been UN-banned so I went to the App Store and I couldn’t find the app to put TikTok back in the App Store," one user wrote.
Another person even offered money to anyone who could get TikTok back for them.
They shared on X: "I deleted TikTok and now I can’t get it back! I will pay someone $5,000 for an iPhone 16 Pro Max with TikTok still installed. DM me."
Currently, TikTok is unavailable in the Apple App Store for US users. That means users who deleted the app are unable to reinstall it.
If you try to search for it, you’ll see a message saying: "TikTok and other ByteDance apps are no longer available in the country or region you're in.
"If you already have these apps installed on your device, they will remain on your device. But they can't be redownloaded if deleted or restored if you move to a new device. In-app purchases and new subscriptions are no longer possible."
The restriction applies to visitors in the US, even if their Apple ID is linked to a different country.
For users who didn’t delete TikTok, the app will remain functional but won’t receive any updates. And some app features may even stop working over time.
Apple warned that this could 'potentially impact performance, security, and compatibility with future versions of iOS and iPadOS, and some app functions might become limited or stop working since the app can’t receive updates.'
It is unclear when the app will return to stores as its future is still up in the air. As of recent, YouTube star MrBeast is officially placing a bid to purchase the app.