The evening of Jan. 19 arrived and millions of users across the U.S. realized their favorite app had officially been banned. Out of anger and sadness, many deleted the app, only to discover that TikTok remained accessible for those who kept it but was gone for those who removed it.
After President Biden signed the Protecting Americans Adversary Controlled Applications Act into law in April 2024, the ban on TikTok was inevitable. But soon after the app went dark for Americans, within hours, it was up and running again. One problem persisted: those who deleted the app could no longer reinstall it.
Although it raises security concerns, some users have attempted to bypass the system by using VPNs and third party app stores to reinstall TikTok, which has worked for some, but not for others.
“I tried to use the VPN apps to get it back, but ultimately nothing worked for my phone,” Sophie Smith ’26 said. “I can still watch TikTok on the web but that’s not very ideal because I can’t make or post anything. At first, it was frustrating, but ultimately it’s kind of just funny and I’m using the time to try and focus on other more productive things instead of mindlessly scrolling.”
While some are searching for every possible way to bypass the ban, others are embracing life without TikTok. Sophia Novello ’25 is enjoying her time without the app.
“People have been sending me videos [how to reinstall TikTok with a VPN], and I just don’t care,” Novello ’25 said. “I’m on my phone way more when I have TikTok, it’s brain rot.”
Meanwhile, others are desperate to get TikTok back. Phones with the app pre-installed are being sold on eBay for thousands of dollars, showing just how far some users will go to regain access.
It’s unclear how long these methods will continue to work, and whether Tiktok will eventually be fully accessible once ByteDance either complies with orders to sell the company or the deadline expires.
