HONG KONG — TikTok is once again accessible for download in the app stores of Apple and Google within the United States, thanks to a delay in the enforcement of a ban by President Donald Trump.

The app, managed by the Chinese tech giant ByteDance, was taken down from the app stores on January 18 due to a law mandating that ByteDance divest the app or face a ban in the U.S.

While a spokesperson for Google chose not to comment on the company’s actions, Apple did not provide immediate feedback on inquiries regarding its decision.

TikTok is a widely popular social media platform, boasting over 170 million users in the U.S. In a previous incident, the app briefly halted its services in the country for less than a day before resuming operations after receiving assurances from Trump that the ban would be postponed. During that time, many users shifted to a different Chinese platform, RedNote, and dubbed themselves “TikTok refugees.”

Following nearly a month of absence, TikTok became available for download again on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. On Trump’s first day in office, he issued an executive order to extend the enforcement deadline of the TikTok ban to April 5.

The app has consistently encountered challenges in the U.S. due to claims from the government that its Chinese ownership poses a national security threat due to access to the personal data of millions of American citizens.

In response, TikTok has denied any allegations of sharing user data with the Chinese government and has contended that the law mandating its divestiture or ban infringes on the First Amendment rights of its U.S. users.

During Trump’s term, he initially supported the idea of banning TikTok but later reversed his stance, mentioning that he developed a “warm spot” for the application. Notably, TikTok’s CEO, Shou Chew, attended the inauguration ceremony for Trump.

Trump has proposed that TikTok could potentially operate with joint ownership, suggesting that half of its ownership could belong to American entities. Among those expressed interest as potential buyers are real estate developer Frank McCourt, Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary, and popular YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast.