Just think… the rumor and reality of TikTok’s return

Report: Sayyed Taskin Ahmed

Have you been watching the social media buzz for the last two days? While #TikTokBack trended on Twitter, Instagram was flooded with memes, and some users were reporting that the TikTok website was opening for them without a VPN…

But when the truth came out, it wasn’t that exciting – it was a network glitch.

The ban is still in place

The government has made it clear that the ban imposed on TikTok is still in place. Neither has any official order come, nor has the app returned to Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

The official statement said that “no unblock order has been issued, whatever news is there – they are false and misleading.”

What really happened? It was a glitch

The truth is that some users saw the TikTok website opening without a VPN for some time, but it was just a temporary glitch – not a deliberate policy change.

TikTok’s parent company ByteDance said, “We have not resumed TikTok in India, and we are following government instructions.”

It is believed to be a case of technical misconfiguration – this happened earlier in September 2022 when some ISPs accidentally unblocked banned sites for a short time while applying a patch.

2020 background: Impact of TikTok in India

In June 2020, the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok on the grounds of national security and data privacy. At that time TikTok was the most popular platform in India, with about 200 million users. People from small towns were becoming stars overnight… and then suddenly everything stopped.

After the ban, Indian short-video apps like Moj, Josh, MX TakaTak, Roposo and ShareChat gained momentum—especially Moj, launched by ShareChat’s parent company Mohalla Tech, which crossed 100 million downloads in its first few months.

Popularity remains strong

This glitch has revived TikTok’s name in people’s minds. It reminded that once upon a time, TikTok revolutionised digital content creation in India—and its iconic positions still live on in people’s minds.

But for now, it was just a glitch—not a comeback. The question then arises: If TikTok ever returns for real, will you adopt it? Or will you continue using Indian apps like Moj and others?

Conclusion

1. The government has made it clear—the ban on TikTok remains.

2. The app has not returned; The slight accessibility of the website was just a technical glitch.

3. Indian apps have established themselves strongly after the ban.

4. This incident shows the enduring popularity of TikTok, but the return is just a rumour.

This article reflects the emotional buzz of “the app is back” on social media, and also gives the full details of the truth—which was a glitch, not a revival.