TikTok website becomes accessible in India after five-year ban; app still unavailable

New Delhi: TikTok’s website became accessible for some users in India on Friday, sparking speculation about a potential re-entry of the short-video platform more than five years after it was banned.

The app, however, remains unavailable on Google Play and the Apple App Store in India, and there is no official confirmation from TikTok or parent ByteDance about a return.

The website of Alibaba Group’s AliExpress was also reachable for some users; like TikTok, the app remains unavailable, another sign that web access alone does not indicate regulatory clearance.

India blocked TikTok in June 2020 alongside 58 other Chinese apps, citing national security and data sovereignty concerns amid heightened bilateral tensions. The Ministry of Electronics and IT said the apps were engaged in activities “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”

ByteDance lost access to an Indian user base of more than 200 million overnight.

With the app still off Indian app stores and no official statements from the company or the government, marketers are treating the website’s intermittent accessibility as non-actionable.

Asked about reopening creator partnerships or ad campaigns tied to TikTok in India, a senior executive at a homegrown Indian brand told BestMediaInfo they see no basis to move in that direction yet.

BestMediaInfo will update this story if TikTok or government authorities issue formal statements regarding access, operations, or advertising policies in India.