TikTok returns to Apple and Google app stores, marking a significant moment in the app's controversial dance with U.S.-China tech and data privacy discussions.

Apple and Google restored TikTok to their app platforms Thursday night. The clock on the reprieve granted by Donald Trump for the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform continues to tick.

Google Maps soared to the number ten spot on the app store after it announced that it would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico.

Phone and iPad users in the European Union now have access to another alternative app store with the official launch of Aptoide, a

Apple has begun removing apps in the App Store from developers that have failed to submit their ‘trader status’ mandated by EU regulations.

The popular apps have unexpectedly returned to iOS and Android devices. You might want to download them while you can. ByteDance’s TikTok and CapCut apps are back in the Apple and Google app stores after having been absent from both for nearly a month.

In an email sent to developers, Apple notes that those who haven’t provided their trader status to the company have had their apps removed from the App Store in the European Union. This means that these apps can no longer be downloaded by users in the EU.

Bad news for DeepSeek users in South Korea. The country’s regulator announced on Monday that the Chinese AI app

Apple’s app removals follow the Digital Services Act, a European law requiring all app traders to display verified contact details, including address, email, and phone number.

The law requires TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. assets in order to continue operating in the U.S. While the law only mandated that ByteDance remove TikTok from app stores in the U.S. if it failed to meet the sale deadline, company executives decided to shut down the app entirely.

Google has gained permission to sell its e-books and audiobooks directly to customers through its iOS app, Google Play Books. While iOS apps today can