Three days after ByteDance's TikTok went dark and then was quickly revived in the United States, users who deleted the app were anxiously checking iPhone and Android devices to find it still unavailable to be downloaded again.
Some looking to make a quick profit from TikTok fans' desperation listed devices on eBay with the app purportedly downloaded for up to $50,000.
TikTok still could not be downloaded from the Apple and Google app stores in the United States on Tuesday, trapped in legal purgatory by the two tech giants. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday delaying the enforcement of a ban on the Chinese-owned popular short-video app by 75 days, the legality of which is unclear.
TikTok resumed service after Trump's assurances that the company and its partners would not face hefty fines to keep the app running, but it was yet to return to app stores. Other apps owned by ByteDance, including Lemon8 and CapCut, were also no longer available.
Meanwhile the search to find a buyer for TikTok continued. Trump said on Tuesday he was open to billionaire Elon Musk's buying the app if the Tesla CEO wanted to do so.
And the chair of the House Select Committee on China, John Moolenaar, met businessmen Kevin O'Leary and Frank McCourt about the potential divestiture of TikTok.
Billionaire businessman McCourt's Project Liberty consortium has made a formal offer to buy it, valuing the app without its algorithm at around $20 billion. O'Leary joined the effort, Project Liberty said earlier this month.
In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, O’Leary said he would be interested in a TikTok deal, but it’s not possible under current law.
"That 50/50 deal, I would love to work with Trump on, so would every other potential buyer ... But the problem with some of these ideas is they are inconsistent with the ruling of the Supreme Court," the investor told CNBC.
The back-and-forth has brought out mixed feelings from users, including some who planned to abandon TikTok after seeing Trump so heavily involved in the negotiations that could result in TikTok eventually being sold to one of his allies in the tech industry.
"I do not want to continue being a pawn in this hellscape. I am not saying it will make a difference to TikTok but it will make a difference to me," said Nicole Norman, a TikTok user, on Meta's Threads app. "I will not be back on TikTok."
Others, however, want TikTok back, which is not possible as long as Apple and Google parent Alphabet do not make it available.
"I’ve been checking every day," said travel content creator Lauren Scott. Scott, 29, currently in Brazil, read in some Facebook groups that Americans abroad may be able to access the app if they deleted and re-downloaded it. But that proved not to be the case, leaving her in limbo.
The delay may be because Google and Apple are awaiting additional protections before bypassing the ban that punishes the companies for hosting or distributing the app, according to analysts.
A notice on Apple's App Store said: "TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in the country or region you're in". Google Play showed: "Downloads for this app are paused due to current US legal requirements."
Some users have been tinkering with multi-step processes to gain access, such as trying to change their location in their phones.
"Really hoping TikTok comes back to the app store ASAP, not wanting to do any of that VPN stuff to get it back," said Lauren Nader, a TikTok user, on Threads.
Google, Apple and TikTok did not respond to requests for comment.
US legislators last year passed a law upheld by the US Supreme Court requiring ByteDance to either sell TikTok or face a ban, citing national security concerns. Many Democratic and Republican lawmakers still want to see ByteDance sell the app.
Trump suggested the United States government should be a half-owner of TikTok's US business in return for keeping the app alive, and warned that he could impose tariffs on China if Beijing failed to approve a deal.
China indicated this week for the first time it would be open to a transaction keeping TikTok operating in the United States, with its foreign ministry saying on Monday that companies "decide independently" on matters of their operations and deals.
Some users still on TikTok have suggested that the app's algorithm is "feeling different" since it came back online, fanned by fears about the future of the tool under a new ownership structure.
TikTok welcomed users back on Sunday with the message, "Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the US!"
"I deactivated my account after it was 'back' this morning. I'm done with taking credit for the messes he starts," said TikTok user Janel Samson on Threads.
Over 200 iPhone and Android devices with the app downloaded were listed on the site for sale as of Tuesday night.
