TikTok is no longer available in the US App Store, why?

The last few days have been a real roller coaster for TikTok. The social network, owned by the Chinese group ByteDance, was subject to an ultimatum. Before this Sunday, January 19, he had tohaving sold its American branch to a “trusted” national company, under the terms of PAFACA (the Protecting Americans from Foreign Owned Applications Act).

But this sale did not go through. The application then disappeared from the various Stores (both on iOS and on the Android Play Store). But the next day, Monday, January 20, newly inaugurated President Donald Trump issued an executive order to put TikTok back online. The application came back for a few hours,before disappearing again.

And for good reason, the decree signed by the president does not have the power to “break” the PAFACA law passed by Congress. Under American law, only Congress has sufficient power to overturn a law passed by Congress. A measure to protect democracy that exists in many countries, including France.

Apple awaits a court decision

Finally, the president's decree asks the Ministry of Justice not to take into account the PAFACA law for the next 75 days. In other words, the law exists, but the president asks that it be “forgotten”. This doesn't mean that companies bringing TikTok back online won't be outside the law, it means that it shouldn't be worried.

But it is this condition that has led Apple to distrust. Just like Google, the Apple brand did not wish to reintroduce TikTok. In the absence of a decision from Congress overturning the PAFACA law, the situation is unlikely to change. For its part, Congress has a single clause to allowTikTokto return to the United States.

To do this, a credible takeover offer must be made publicly. If this is the case, then the social network will be able to return for 90 days. In the meantime, TikTok is still unavailable on the US App Store.A real boon for its competitors, like BleuSky and Facebook who are trying to take advantage of this moment of weakness to win the hearts of TikTok users.