TikTok starts offering APK files directly to US users who can't access app stores

In response to the law commonly referred to as the 'TikTok Ban Act,' which has made TikTok unavailable for download from various app stores in the United States, TikTok has begun distributing Android application files (APK files) directly on its own website.

We're enhancing ways for our community to continue using TikTok by making Android Package Kits available at

https://t.co/JoNVqKpnrS so that our US Android users can download our app and create, discover, and connect on TikTok.

More information at our Help Center:…

— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) February 8, 2025

TikTok now offers its Android app for download outside of Google Play | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/news/609008/tiktok-now-offers

The APK file can be downloaded from the following URL, but if you are in Japan, you will be redirected to Google Play as usual due to regional restrictions.

Download TikTok - Get the latest official version for Android and iOS
https://www.tiktok.com/download

When foreign media outlet The Verge tried downloading the app, they found that 'on my Pixel 6, I was able to update to the latest version of TikTok in about the same amount of time it would take to get the app from Google Play.'

There is no iOS version, however, because Apple does not allow apps to be downloaded from anywhere other than the App Store, so iPhone users have no choice but to use the app via a web browser.

Under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act , commonly known as the TikTok Ban Act, enacted under the Joe Biden administration, TikTok is deemed an 'adversary-controlled application' because its parent company is Chinese-owned. The company is required to either sell its business or cease providing services in the United States by a deadline of January 19, 2025.

TikTok chose to suspend its services, TikTok's hosting provider Oracle and its CDN partner Akamai stopped hosting TikTok in the U.S., and the App Store and Google Play removed TikTok from the app.

TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, MARVEL SNAP, etc. will be suspended in the United States as the 'TikTok Ban Law' comes into effect - GIGAZINE

However, Donald Trump, who took office the day after the service suspension deadline, signed an executive order granting a 75-day grace period for enforcement of the law and indicated his intention to continue efforts to keep TikTok alive, so TikTok's service was resumed. On the other hand, the App Store and Google Play suspended TikTok, so users who had uninstalled the app and new users had no choice but to give up on obtaining the app or obtain it from a store other than the official store.

Apple and Google require certain rules for apps to be listed on their app stores, but TikTok has appealed that it is 'safe' and is seeking reinstatement. Google, which has yet to reinstate the app, did not respond to a request for comment from The Verge.