TikTok Banned in India, But That Hasn’t Stopped People Using It

People can download TikTok despite the Court banning the app in India’s Google and Apple app stores. This is how.

If you’re in India, you can’t see the TikTok app on the Google or Apple app stores anymore.

(Photo: The Quint)

If you’re in India, you will not be able to see the TikTok app on the Google or Apple app stores anymore.

The TikTok video sharing app was taken off Google Play Store and the Apple App store on 17 April, two weeks after the Madras High Court issued an order to the Center to ban its download. But has this stopped people from downloading and using the app?

Not by a long shot.

So, in case you missed the development, the app was taken off the app stores, after the Indian government reached out to Google and Apple, asking them to comply with India’s regulations.

But people are still downloading the app and use it through not-so-official means. Listen to the podcast to find out how people are side-stepping this “ban” in less than 15 seconds.

On 3 April, the Madras High Court ordered the Central government to ban downloading of the app, and the telecasting of videos made on the app. The court said that the app encourages pornography and puts children at risk, and to prevent this, issued a ban.

So, anyway, the app’s been taken off these stores, but by no means is it completely blocked or banned in India.

First off, existing TikTok users can still upload and share videos on the app. But new users can’t download it off the app store any more. But is that an effective enough ban? Perhaps not.

Using a method called side-loading, reports say that users are still downloading the app and using it.

What’s Side-Loading?

Side-loading is when you get a hold of the app’s APK file, allow your phone to support the installation of third-party apps that aren’t from the app store and install the app, all features intact.

For those who don’t know what an APK file is, it’s like the software version of the app but not downloaded from the official source. Say, for example, like a pirated copy of a movie that’s just been released in theatres. It’s not from the official market, but it still does the job.

Just a sidenote, these instances are more likely with Android phones, because Apple is strict with its app policies and doesn’t allow users to side-load or download app files from third-party sources.

But Google’s Android, which is an open-source ecosystem, has no such restriction and allows users the option of installing third-party apps from unknown sources. It’s usually a simple change in settings available on nearly all Android phones.

In fact, a basic Google search for the words “TikTok APK”, throws up tons of results for alternative websites and sources to download the TikTok app from. Additionally, the ban is also likely to trigger a rise in forums filled with information on these third-party stores where the app can be found.

But isn’t it illegal to download the app like this, since the Court ordered a ban on it? I spoke to Apar Gupta, the Executive Director for the Internet Freedom Foundation, about this.

‘The Hon’ble Court’s direction is given to the application stores from which the app was available for download. By itself, the legality and the breach and the consequences limit it to the application stores. It does not extend to people who are side-loading the application or putting it without going through the app store itself.’

Apar Gupta, Executive Director, Internet Freedom Foundation

But aren’t there other risks to downloading the app from an unknown website? Of course!

Downloading from unknown websites can be dangerous because the files could carry malware and other threats, putting the data in a user’s device at risk and potentially damaging the phone as well. And of course, since this isn’t done through the Google Play store, Google won’t be liable for any damage that happens.

Apart from downloading the APK, in some instances, a banned app doesn’t work if you’re using the internet from a country that’s banned it. In these cases, we’ve seen instances of users using virtual private networks or VPNs to bypass the restriction and access the app.

One example of this is music streaming app Spotify. A number of Indians used VPNs to access and use Spotify before it was officially launched in India.

But this is all mostly applicable only if you don’t use iOS. iOS users will have to make the switch to Android if they really want to use the TikTok app, since Apple’s restrictions are so strict.

Meanwhile, ByteDance, the firm behind TikTok, has challenged the ban on the app in the Supreme Court, claiming that it violates the right to free speech and expression.

The Supreme Court will be hearing the plea against the ban on 22 April. But unless the Supreme Court issues an order against the ban, Indians won’t be able to download TikTok from the Play Store or the App store.

But as we've pointed out, it CAN and still is likely being downloaded and used, fairly freely.