The buzz about TikTok's return to India has intensified again. On 22 August 2025, its official website suddenly became accessible without VPN, making millions of users think that TikTok India comeback has happened. However, TikTok immediately clarified that the app is still banned and the company is following the TikTok ban order of the Government of India.
However, the app is still not available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Now TikTok has clarified that the company is still following the ban order of the Government of India and access has not been restored.
TikTok Statement And The Government Position
A TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch via email that the company has not restored access in India. That is, TikTok is still following the orders of the Government of India. According to the information, the Indian government has not yet decided to unblock this app or give any new permission to TikTok.
The publication also reported that a senior official working for the IT Ministry confirmed on the condition of anonymity that the ban imposed under Section 69A of the IT Act has not been revoked and the government has not 'unblocked or done anything' regarding TikTok.
It was also said that the sudden opening of TikTok's official website could be a network-level misconfiguration. A similar case also came to light in 2022 when some service providers accidentally opened TikTok and other banned sites while applying patches.
Is The Opening Of The Website A Sign Of TikTok Return?
When access to TikTok's website started without VPN on August 22, speculations started on social media. But tech experts believe that this could just be a network-level error. Actually, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) sometimes make mistakes in the unblocking order during system updates. This is the reason why TikTok starts opening for some time. But this is not the official return of TikTok in any way.
At present, the situation is clear that TikTok is not returning to India right now. The company itself has said that it is still following the ban of the Government of India. Even though some other Chinese apps like Shein and TanTan have returned with new names, the case of TikTok is complicated. Unless there is a concrete agreement between the government and Bytedance, it would be too early to trust the return of TikTok.
Apps Were Banned In 2020 And The Situation After That
In the year 2020, the Government of India banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok. The government said that these are a threat to the security of the country. This decision was taken during the tension with China on the LAC in Ladakh.
After this, another wave came in 2022, in which popular games like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire were removed. However, Krafton talked to the government and launched Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and again gave the gaming experience to the users. At the same time, brands like SHEIN also made a comeback with a new name. But till now TikTok's bytedance company has not been able to reach any agreement with the government. Despite several talks, there is still uncertainty over TikTok's return to India.
Conclusion
The Indian government has repeatedly made it clear that any TikTok video sharing platform or other foreign apps will be allowed only if they follow the rules of data localisation and policy compliance. If you have any question related to this recruitment, then you can ask it in the comment box. Your question will definitely be answered by our team, you must share the article on your social media account.
