TikTok’s website is live in India after being absent for five years, and some former users have noticed they can access it. The app, however, is still not available on Google Play Store or the App Store, and TikTok has not made any statement about returning to India.
The website does not work properly for everyone. The homepage loaded, but other sections did not. Clicking on “Newsroom” showed the message: “You don’t have access to this page. Our services aren’t available in your country or region.” The “Careers” page returned a “503 Service Temporarily Unavailable” error, and the “Contacts” page only showed basic information about partners, media, and legal enquiries.
As per media reports, Government sources said that TikTok is still officially blocked. “The government of India has not issued any unblocking order for TikTok. Any such statement or news is false and misleading,” officials said. Internet service providers continue to block the app, which explains why some users can access it while others cannot.
This has brought back conversations about why TikTok was banned in the first place. In 2020, the Indian government blocked TikTok along with 58 other Chinese apps, including ShareIt and CamScanner, citing national security concerns. The Ministry of Electronics and IT had said the apps were “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”
TikTok has also faced challenges outside India. In the United States, the app has been under threat of a ban. Former President Donald Trump had said American buyers were ready to acquire TikTok and was open to giving ByteDance, its parent company, more time to sell its US assets. The company has also laid off employees in the UK as part of a restructuring to centralise operations and rely more on artificial intelligence for content moderation.
The timing comes as India and China work on improving their relationship after the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit China from August 31 to September 1 for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.
TikTok and AliExpress were among 59 Chinese apps banned in India following the clashes.
