TikTok, the fourth most downloaded app in 2018 was recently banned by the Madras High Court.
The Chinese video-sharing app was banned on the grounds of “encouraging pornography” and “polluting the youth.” While the ban has been already been lifted, we forget that blocking these apps can be a futile exercise in the 21st century with people finding and having other ways to get around the ban.
TikTok has an estimate of 500 million users globally including 119 million Indian users on its platform who can share the app like ShareIt for the other person to install and use it. But giving it a though this option is available to people you may know to have been a TikTok user, what about other ways of installing in case you do not know a TikTok user?
There are other third-party app stores like APKMirror and APKPure who have TikTok listed on their site for free and safe download to mobile users. While downloading the apps from non-verified sources is not advisable as there is a possibility of these apps being malicious and not phone friendly.
Online users can get into trouble by looking for downloading from third-party platforms which can harm their phones or even collect important data. Such tactics are used by hackers around the world to make quick money and blocking popular apps is not the right move. On the other hand, what needs to be done is to follow some regulations that blocks the harmful content by making strict policies.
Also Read: The Why, How and When of TikTok ban in India
As for the Apple users, the war is not so simple as Apple does not allow any third party downloads however one can always jailbreak and break free from Apple’s grip. For people who are wondering what is a jailbreak, Jailbreak refers to the process of gaining root access to the iOS operating system that runs on Apple devices.
Another way of downloading the app is to use VPN services (Virtual Private Network Services) which allows you to switch your geographical location and change your IP address to get past any restriction. All you need to do is first reset the PlayStore app and clear cache and data which will then allow you to pick a new country as your location in PlayStore and download the app easily. Also, in case the Play store is unable to pick your new location automatically, you can update it manually by tapping “Account” and then selecting “Country and Profiles” where you will be able to see both your default country and the new country you have selected via VPN service and confirm the changes.
Meanwhile, the talks of PUBG being banned also surfacing, we only hope the best for all PUBG lovers.
