TikTok has started offering direct downloads for the Android version of its app on its website in the United States, following its removal from Google Play last month due to a ban. This update provides Android users with an easy alternative to download or update TikTok.
As Google had previously pulled the app due to the US governments concerns. The Tiktok Standard and Tiktok Lite application, a version designed for slower internet speeds, are available for download. The installation or updating process of the application is simple - users simply download the file, open it and approve the installation. The update process is fast and uninterrupted, and is very similar to the Google Play download application. Application developers must adhere to certain rules presented in Google Play, but the Tiktok startup process is not subject to the same restrictions on their web. The company assures users that the app remains safe and secure, noting that TikTok’s source code is still under scrutiny by Oracle and independent security inspectors hired by ByteDance, the app\'s parent company. For iPhone users, the situation is different, as Apple does not allow sideloading of apps in the US.
As a result, iPhone users will have to continue accessing TikTok via a web browser until the app is potentially reinstated on the App Store which may not happen soon, as both Google and Apple appear reluctant to defy the ban to avoid hefty fines, despite a temporary stay on enforcement of the ban from a prior executive order.
