The social media app is likely to disappear from the app stores of Google and Apple right away. But it’s unclear if users will completely lose acces

If TikTok Is Banned, Can I Still Use It?

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2025-01-11 22:30:07

The social media app is likely to disappear from the app stores of Google and Apple right away. But it’s unclear if users will completely lose access.

The monthslong fight by legislators to ban the social media app TikTok in the United States is expected to come to a head on Friday when the Supreme Court hears arguments to decide the app’s fate for its 170 million American users.

No. The law passed by Congress last year would make it illegal for app stores from companies like Apple and Google to distribute or issue updates to TikTok at the risk of hefty civil penalties: $5,000 per American user, which could amount to hundreds of billions of dollars.

If TikTok is banned, it will likely disappear from app stores overnight. (Apple and Google have not commented on their plans to remove the app.)

Apple has long complied with foreign governments that have ordered apps to be removed in their countries. Last April, for instance, Apple pulled communication apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Threads and Telegram from its app store in China at the request of the Chinese government.