It’s unclear what the future holds for TikTok, as President Trump’s executive order only delayed the US ban rather than overturning it altogether. That said, the app is still unavailable on Apple’s App Store or Google Play, but TikTok found a workaround for Android users. As of now, you can download an APK from TikTok’s website to sideload the app onto Android devices.
“We’re enhancing ways for our community to continue using TikTok by making Android Package Kits available at TikTok.com/download so that our U.S. Android users can download our app and create, discover, and connect on TikTok,” the company said on social media.
As TikTok notes on its help page, you can download the full TikTok app or TikTok Lite, which has fewer features than the main app but also consumes less data. You can’t access live streams or the TikTok Shop, but you can still watch and create videos on TikTok Lite.
Whichever version you choose, this is currently the only way to download or update TikTok on mobile devices in the US. The company also notes that its “robust protocols remain in place for our Android Package Kits to ensure our app remains safe and secure.”
Apple doesn’t let iOS users sideload apps, so if you want to continue using TikTok on iPhone or iPad, visit TikTok’s site, tap Add TikTok to Home Screen, and follow all of the steps to create a shortcut to TikTok.com on your home screen.
Whether TikTok ever makes it back to the App Store or Google Play remains to be seen, but at least Android users have a way to access the app in the meantime.
