Amidst awaited verdict on TikTok ban in India by Madras High Court, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has suggested Google and Apple to take down its app from Android and iOS.
Following the recommendation by the ministry, TikTok app has been disappeared from Google Play Store as well as from iOS.
Entrackr has independently verified with over 10 users and found that the app has been removed from Play Store and iOS. Meanwhile, pre-downloaded apps continue to function without any glitch.
It’s worth noting that TikTok counts over 70 per cent users on Google’s Play Store in India.
A blanket ban of the app from Android came as a surprise for hundreds of millions of users in India. Earlier, on Tuesday, the Madras High Court denied lifting the ban and deferred hearing till April 24.
The development comes a day after the Supreme Court’s denial of relaxing ban for the popular Chinese app.
While TikTok has to wait for the next hearing at Supreme Court and Madras High Court on April 22 and April 24 respectively, the high court has appointed an independent counsel.
Responding to High Court decision, TikTok has welcomed the appointment of senior advocate Arvind Datar as an independent counsel to examine its implications.
So far, TikTok has claimed to have complied with government norms and promised to take all the necessary action required to operate in the country. It cites the example of removing 6 million videos violating the guidelines and introduction of an age-gate feature to keep away underage users from the platform.
Last month, TikTok also started Safety Centre and resource pages to control bullying. Since the general election is around the corner, it is also acting as an advisor during the electoral process in 10 languages.
Update: The post has been updated after reviewing TikTok app on iOS.
