To stay available in the US amid Play Store ban, TikTok now offering APK from its website

The TikTok logo on a white pink and blue background

TikTok had a rocky start to 2025. It got banned in the US briefly and came back online after President Trump took charge of the office and signed an executive order granting the ByteDance-owned company some time to find a potential buyer. Reports suggest that several companies including, Microsoft, Oracle, Perplexity AI, etc., have submitted their proposal to buy TikTok and keep its services running in the US.

Amid the uncertainty, Apple and Google removed the TikTok app from their respective app stores following the ban in the US. This caused inconvenience for TikTok users who had deleted the app after the ban took effect, only to learn that services were restored a day later. The only way for them to access TikTok was via a web browser. However, TikTok has now come to their rescue and is now offering an Android Package Kit aka APK file for Android users straight from their official website.

In a post on social media platform X, the TikTok Policy handle shared this information, according to which, TikTok users on Android in the US can grab the APK file by visiting TikTok.com/download, allowing them to install the app on their Android phones until Google restores the app on the Play Store.

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 U.S. 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

Do note that the APK file from the official website will let users watch, follow, and interact with TikTok creators and also create their posts. However, some features such as LIVE and TikTok Shop, will remain inaccessible. TikTok has also noted that robust security measures are in place to keep the app safe. The company is continuing to work with Oracle and independent security inspectors, who have access to the app's source code to identify and fix vulnerabilities.

TikTok is offering two versions of its app—TikTok and TikTok Lite. Either of the apps can be downloaded by visiting the www.tiktok.com/download website. If on a web browser, users can scan the QR code to grab the APK file and start installing the TikTok app on their Android phones.