TikTok is back on App Store

We recently heard the news about TikTok being banned on the App Store as the Trump administration considers it as a national security threat. TikTok was set to be removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as soon as Sunday, September 20 for those in the US. The ban was issued by the US Department of Commerce, and also included Chinese social network WeChat which is widely used for payment processing around the world. After this ban users in the country had no way to download or install this app.

Meanwhile, ByteDance, the company behind Tiktok, was in talks with the Trump administration to decide on terms and conditions so they could continue to operate in the country. The flexibility shown by the company had caused a cease of the ban for some time. As the latest news, President Trump has approved the partnership of Oracle and Walmart with ByteDance. Reuters reports that the approved deal will allow Oracle and Walmart to run a new company called TikTok Global, which will be based in Texas. This means that more than half of TikTok Global will be owned and managed by US investors.

In a statement, President Trump said that the TikTok Global will be operational from the US-based office and will provide around 25,000 new jobs in the US. He also promised that this transition will remove any security threat, if ever existed, with all its data being stored on the servers in the US.

So far, there isn't any written agreement between Oracle/Walmart with TikTok and we have to see what will happen to TikTok Global in the US. There isn't any guarantee that US investors will go ahead and invest in the app. But, so far, if you are using TikTok in the US, you can keep using it. In a press statement, the company said, "We are pleased that the proposal by TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the US Administration and settle questions around TikTok's future in the US."