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Apple Blocks ByteDance Apps in US
5 Mar
Summary
- Apple restricts US iPhone users from downloading ByteDance apps.
- ByteDance apps are blocked even with a valid Chinese App Store account.
- This action is linked to the 2024 law targeting foreign adversary-controlled apps.
Apple has begun blocking iPhone users in the United States from downloading apps created by ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok. These restrictions are in place for users attempting to download or update ByteDance-owned applications, even when using a valid Chinese App Store account.
A pop-up message stating "This app is unavailable in the country or region you're in" now appears for such attempts. This action is understood to be a consequence of the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act," enacted by Congress in 2024. The law prohibits companies from distributing, maintaining, or updating apps predominantly controlled by ByteDance within the United States.
While primarily targeting TikTok due to national security concerns, the law's scope extends to other ByteDance applications. This includes popular apps like Douyin, the AI chatbot Doubao, and the fiction reading platform Fanqie Novel, which are now inaccessible to US iPhone users. This restriction is also observable on the Google Play Store, though Android users have more flexibility in obtaining apps from alternative sources.
