Apple has reportedly chosen to keep TikTok available in its App Store for a minimum of 75 additional days.
This move follows a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi urging the company to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order that extends the suspension of a U.S. ban on TikTok, as reported by Bloomberg News on April 6, citing sources close to the situation.
The letter is said to have been delivered on April 5, coinciding with the deadline set by the White House for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest the video-sharing platform. PYMNTS has reached out to Apple for a response but has yet to receive any feedback.
Trump had expressed optimism about finalizing a deal before the deadline, with various entities, including Amazon and several private equity firms, showing interest.
The proposed agreement would allocate 50% of TikTok’s U.S. operations to new external investors in a separate entity spun off from ByteDance. Existing U.S. investors in ByteDance would hold approximately 30% of the business, thereby reducing ByteDance’s ownership to just under 20%.
However, recent U.S. tariffs on imports, including a 54% duty on Chinese goods, have led ByteDance to reconsider its position.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump stated on Friday that the deal “requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed,” prompting him to authorize the 75-day extension.
Apple had reinstated TikTok in February after Bondi sent a similar letter offering reassurances. This followed an earlier ban initiated due to national security concerns surrounding TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
Trump initially backed the move to ban TikTok during his first term but changed his stance last year, advocating for a resolution even after the Supreme Court ruled against ByteDance in its attempt to block the ban.
In related news, PYMNTS reported last week on Amazon’s ambitions to acquire TikTok, suggesting that such a deal would empower the eCommerce giant in influencing consumer behavior, particularly among younger audiences.
The report also noted, “Moreover, such an acquisition could enable Amazon to merge TikTok’s impactful advertising ecosystem with its retail framework, creating a seamless pathway from content exploration to direct purchasing.”
“Although the deal remains theoretical, it underscores Amazon’s eagerness to adopt unconventional strategies to stay at the forefront of consumer engagement.”
