In a bid to capitalize on the situation, some individuals began listing devices on eBay with the app allegedly pre-installed, with prices reaching as high as $50,000.
As of Tuesday, TikTok remained inaccessible from both the Apple and Google app stores in the U.S., caught in a legal limbo imposed by the two tech giants.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that postponed the enforcement of a ban on the popular Chinese-owned short-video app for 75 days, although the legality of this order remains uncertain.
TikTok resumed its services following Trump's assurances that the company and its partners would not incur significant fines to maintain operations, yet it had not reappeared in the app stores. Other ByteDance applications, such as Lemon8 and CapCut, were also unavailable.
Meanwhile, efforts to find a buyer for TikTok were ongoing. Trump indicated on Tuesday that he would be open to Elon Musk purchasing the app if the Tesla CEO expressed interest.
Additionally, John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on China, met with businessmen Kevin O'Leary and Frank McCourt to discuss the potential sale of TikTok, with McCourt having made a formal offer to acquire it.
This ongoing situation has elicited mixed reactions from users, including some who considered leaving TikTok due to Trump's significant involvement in the negotiations, which could lead to the app being sold to one of his allies in the tech sector.
"I do not want to continue being a pawn in this hellscape. I am not saying it will make a difference to TikTok but it will make a difference to me," said Nicole Norman, a TikTok user, on Meta's Threads app. "I will not be back on TikTok."
Conversely, some stakeholders advocate for TikTok’s reinstatement; however, this remains infeasible until Apple and Alphabet Inc. restore its availability.
"I’ve been checking every day," said travel content creator Lauren Scott. Scott, 29, currently in Brazil, read in some Facebook groups that Americans abroad may be able to access the app if they deleted and re-downloaded it. But that proved not to be the case, leaving her in limbo.
Analysts suggest the delay may result from Google and Apple’s need for enhanced protections before circumventing the ban imposed on them for hosting or distributing the application.
A notice on Apple's App Store said: "TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in the country or region you're in". Google Play showed: "Downloads for this app are paused due to current U.S. legal requirements."
The application displays a message indicating that downloads are currently suspended due to prevailing U.S. legal stipulations. Some users have reportedly been experimenting with multiple approaches.
"Really hoping TikTok comes back to the app store ASAP, not wanting to do any of that VPN stuff to get it back," said Lauren Nader, a TikTok user, on Threads.
Google, Apple, and TikTok did not provide comments when approached for their input.
Last year, U.S. lawmakers enacted a law, which was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, mandating that ByteDance either divest TikTok or face a ban due to national security issues. A number of legislators from both the Democratic and Republican parties continue to advocate for ByteDance to sell the application.
Former President Trump proposed that the U.S. government should take a 50% stake in TikTok's American operations as a condition for allowing the app to continue functioning, also warning of potential tariffs on China if an agreement was not reached.
This week, China signaled for the first time its willingness to consider a deal that would allow TikTok to remain operational in the U.S., with its foreign ministry stating on Monday that companies "make independent decisions" regarding their operations and agreements.
Some TikTok users have noted that the app's algorithm seems to be "acting differently" since it resumed service, fueled by concerns about its future under new ownership.
TikTok expressed gratitude to its users on Sunday, stating, "Thank you for your patience and support. Thanks to President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!"
"I deactivated my account after it was 'back' this morning. I'm done with [Trump] taking credit for the messes he starts," said TikTok user Janel Samson on Threads.
As of Tuesday evening, the website listed over 200 mobile devices—iPhones and Androids—with the application installed and available for purchase.