TikTok blocking egg dance: Apple blocks entire ByteDance portfolio
Apple did not just block TikTok in the App Store on Sunday. The list includes all products that have anything to do with ByteDance.
Tiktok app on smartphone: At least not currently in the USA.
(Image: Primakov/Shutterstock.com)
iPhone and iPad users in the United States who are interested in apps from the Chinese company ByteDance are still unable to download them. Despite the fact that applications such as TikTok were only unusable in the country for half a day on Sunday before the new US President Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated today , intervened according to media reports, Apple has not yet responded. Instead, a support document has been published detailing which programs are blocked. There are far more than just TikTok itself.
Overview of blocked apps: Not just TikTok
Anyone attempting to download TikTok is greeted with the information that the app and other ByteDance programs are "not available in the country or region in which they are located". All you need to do is use an American App Store account. People with accounts in other regions still have access. Apple links to this support document in the statement. The text provides an overview of the applications ByteDance offers in the USA. There are more than many users may be aware of. In addition to the "real" TikTok, this also includes the creator apps TikTok Studio and TikTok Shop Seller Central for selling goods. Furthermore, all Lark apps, "Productivity Super Apps", which also belong to ByteDance, are blocked, including Lark - Team Collaboration, Lark - Rooms Display and the Lark - Rooms Controller. Also banned are the Chinese editing program CapCut, the Pinterest competitor Lemon8, the photo editor Hypic, the AI "study companion" Gauth and the card game Marvel Snap, which belongs to a ByteDance subsidiary.
Apple states that "apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries" are affected by the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. They will no longer be available in the USA after January 19, 2025, not even for updates. However, the apps will not be deleted from the device. However, it will no longer be possible to download them again after deletion, nor will it be possible to transfer them to a new device. In-app purchases and new subscriptions are also prohibited. However, subscriptions can still be canceled.
Egg dance between the Supreme Court, Biden and Trump
The "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" actually required ByteDance to sell the US offshoot of the popular application by Sunday. But that is exactly what did not happen. An attempt to prevent the ban by filing a lawsuit with the US Supreme Court was unsuccessful. However, the current US president has the right to extend the sales process with a grace period. However, the previous administration under Joe Biden did not play this card.
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Instead, Trump announced that he would probably do so on Monday and was generally more lenient towards the app. Apparently it is now enough for him that 50 percent of the application goes to the USA. Despite this new development, Apple has not yet responded. The company is apparently waiting for an official announcement after Trump's inauguration. TikTok itself was shut down on the server side in the USA for around half a day on Sunday, but can now be used again. The head of TikTok is even expected to attend Trump's inauguration.
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