TikTok to let US Android users download app via kits on its website

TikTok on Friday said it was enabling Android users in the United States to download and access the popular short video app via package kits available on its website.

This move aims to help users circumvent the ongoing restrictions imposed on the popular platform in the country.

Since January 19, a US law has prevented Apple and Google from reinstating the ByteDance-owned app in their stores, demanding that its Chinese parent company either divest the app on national security grounds or face a ban.

President Donald Trump, who took office the day after the law went into effect, signed an executive order seeking to delay the enforcement of the law by 75 days.

Trump said he was in talks with multiple people over TikTok's purchase and would likely have a decision on the app's future this month. It has about 170 million American users.

The president signed an executive order on Monday ordering the creation of a sovereign wealth fund within the next year, saying it could potentially buy TikTok.

US officials have warned that under ByteDance, there was a risk of Americans' data being misused.

Free speech advocates have opposed TikTok's ban under the law, which was overwhelmingly passed by Congress and signed by then-president Joe Biden.

The company says US officials misstated its ties to China, arguing its content recommendation engine and user data are stored in the United States on cloud servers operated by Oracle, while content moderation decisions that affect American users are also made in the United States.