Apple keeps TikTok in US App Store

Apple has decided to keep TikTok and other ByteDance apps available on its US App Store for at least 75 additional days, after receiving assurances from the Trump administration.

People familiar with the matter said the iPhone maker received a letter on Saturday from Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding it comply with Trump's executive order extending the suspension of the ban on TikTok in the United States. 

Trump said on his Truth Social page on Friday, "The agreement requires further work to ensure all necessary approvals are obtained, which is why I am signing an executive order to keep TikTok operating for an additional 75 days."

Last February, Apple reinstated TikTok to its App Store after receiving a similar letter from Bondi, which included assurances regarding a January executive order by Trump temporarily suspending the ban. The app is also available on Google Play Store for Android devices, though Google has not yet commented on the matter.

This extension comes just two days after US officials were close to reaching an agreement to create a US version of TikTok with majority ownership by US investors. The agreement was approved by ByteDance but was canceled following Trump's decision to impose sweeping tariffs on US trading partners, including one that raised the total tariff on Chinese imports to 54%.

The US Congress passed the original ban on the app out of concern over Chinese ownership and concerns that it could be used to spy on US citizens, given that Chinese law requires companies to share their data with the government upon request.

Although Trump had previously supported the ban, he later reversed his stance, saying when signing the executive order in January, "I think I have a certain sympathy for TikTok that I didn't have before."

According to two people familiar with the details of a meeting last Wednesday, Trump and other senior officials reviewed an offer from a consortium of American investors, including Oracle Corp., Blackstone Inc., and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which had emerged as a top contender to acquire TikTok.

According to a report published by Bloomberg on Friday, the potential structure of the deal stipulates that the new investors would own approximately 50% of TikTok's US business in a separate entity separated from ByteDance, while the existing US investors in ByteDance would retain an estimated 30% stake, reducing the Chinese company's stake to less than 20%.