Calm Down TikTok Fans! The Ban Sucks, But Don't Rush To Install A Random Alternative App

Within hours after the courts’ ordered the Indian government to ban TikTok in the country, both Google and Apple removed the short-video sharing app from their app stores. This ban complies with a verdict from Madras High Court made on April 5.

Following this nationwide ban, you will see a new trend on Google Search, as indicated in the following graph. Apparently, people are turning to Google search engine to find other ways to download TikTok APK from India. The red line in the graph represents this trend, which is rising rapidly.

TikTok APK

While it’s complicated for iPhone users to hole the app in a different way, Android users can easily get TikTok’s APK (short for Android Package Kit) from a third-party, unauthorized app store.

Users are still able to find and download the app from those non-Google app stores. Apart from this website, there are a number of others that allow users to do the same, downloading the already banned TikTok app.

There’s just one problem, the process requires users to turn off their phone security settings.

The risk

Once users turn off security settings on their Android phones so that they can install the app from non-Google app stores, they are increasing the risk of being exposed to spyware and malware and installing them on their phones via these unauthorized apps.

Every time you install an Android app that Google doesn’t verify with a green tick, you are risking your own security. Hackers, as well as malware creators, can put the TikTok logo on their malicious app and trick you to download and install it on your device.

To avoid this, several software firms such as Sophos, Symantec, and Kaspersky warn against installing apps that don’t come from Google Play Store and don’t have a green tick representing Google’s verification.

So while you are laughing thinking that the TikTok ban from the Indian government cannot stop you from using the app, don’t rush to install a random TikTok app from non-Google app store if you don’t want to risk your own security.