More and more people are “sideloading” TikTok. Ever since Jan. 19, TikTok has been technically “banned.” That was the day the “ban or sell” law first went into effect. As part of this law, app stores are prohibited from listing TikTok and making it available to download.
President Donald Trump’s executive order makes it clear that the government won’t be enforcing this law until April 5. Despite this, app stores are erring on the side of caution. This means that TikTok is left missing from these app stores. Consequently, it is now near-impossible for new users to download the app.
However, as previously reported by Passionfruit, there are options. TikTok itself made the app available for Android phones on its website. By doing so, the company encouraged users to “sideload” the app onto their devices.
The Rise of Sideloading TikTok on Android and Beyond
Sideloading refers to downloading an app from a third-party source, and according to new data by the BBC, TikTok’s endorsement of sideloading is just the tip of the iceberg.
For instance, cloud-based third-party app store and installer Signulous says that 120,000 iPhone users have used its services to download TikTok. Neil Pomperleau, a worker from Signulous, also shared screenshots with the BBC that show how its service peaked at more than 2,000 downloads per hour.
“One of the most popular apps in the world can only be sideloaded in the US, so it’s been a good thing for us with record traffic to our site and a spike in customers,” he told the outlet.
AppDB, another sideloading company, also shared screenshots with the BBC. They showed that the company has had nearly 95,000 downloads for TikTok. Moreover, these screenshots also showed how AppDB’s membership has doubled since the ban.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Whether through sideloading, VPNs, or buying devices with TikTok installed on them, this shows that TikTok’s userbase aren’t giving up on the app that easily. If Trump doesn’t make a deal with TikTok by April 5, we can expect these loopholes to become increasingly common. For now, the ball is in their court.
