TikTok in In: On August 22, speculation grew that TikTok might be inching back into India after several users reported that the app’s official website had become accessible without a VPN. However, while the website can now be opened, the TikTok app itself is still missing from both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

In response to the buzz, TikTok quickly clarified its stance. “We have not restored access to TikTok in India and continue to comply with the Government of India’s directive,” a TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch in an emailed statement.

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A senior official from the IT Ministry, who asked not to be named, also confirmed to TechCrunch that the ban continues to be enforced under Section 69A of the IT Act. The official said the government hasn’t “unblocked or done anything” with regard to TikTok.

So what explains the sudden reappearance of TikTok’s website? According to sources familiar with the matter, it may simply be a technical slip-up at the network level. Something similar reportedly happened back in September 2022, when certain internet service providers unintentionally lifted restrictions on TikTok and other banned platforms while rolling out a patch.

To put things in perspective, TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps, such as ShareIt and UC Browser, were banned in 2020 over national security concerns, at a time when tensions with China spiked along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. This was followed by another wave of bans in 2022, which saw popular titles like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire removed from app stores. Krafton’s PUBG, however, made a return as BattleGrounds Mobile India (BGMI) the following year after negotiations with authorities.

By 2025, some restrictions on a few apps were also relaxed. Shein re-entered the Indian market as SHEIN India Fast Fashion, while previously blocked platforms like Xender and TanTan resurfaced under slightly tweaked names such as “Xender: File Share, Share Music” and “TanTan – Asian Dating App”.

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For ByteDance, though, progress has been sluggish. Despite multiple rounds of discussions with the Indian government, the company has yet to strike a deal that would bring TikTok back officially.