TikTok Ban—This Is Your Only Workaround

TikTok has gone dark—Even before the midnight deadline, customers using their apps in the U.S. received the now notorious popup warning that TikTok has gone dark but might be back when the Trump government takes office. Suddenly, all the conjecture around “going dark” versus app updates and whether VPNs would remedy the situation became actual. And it was all awful news for U.S. users. The workaround is out there—but it’s painful.

It’s not banned to have or use TikTok in the U.S.; the laws rests on service providers rather than individuals. That’s why Google and Apple have prohibited the app from stores, and even the beta app has been restricted. It’s also why the site has gone entirely dark in the U.S., given the data storage providers and wider U.S. ecosystem that powers the platform.

This is why VPNs don’t work—they can mask the origination of data, but if you have a U.S. account or a U.S. app or a U.S. cell phone number, then TikTok will prevent you from using its service. This is extreme adherence to the ban, but you can imagine TikTok taking that route given the attention and the political sensitivities.

Working around the ban—if you can—is not forbidden, as long as you don’t do anything wrong in how you actually do it. The issue for U.S. users will be that you won’t be able to do that with your existing account. You also can’t accomplish it from the U.S. or potentially even with a cell phone containing a U.S.-registered SIM or eSIM.

TikTok offers a website with limited features and functionality. It enables you to sign in, however generating an account via the website is tricky. Remember, you also cannot utilize a non-U.S. App Store or Play Store unless you have an Apple or Google account in that distinct nation. Android users may be able to sideload a new app, but I would strongly advise against it. If you can’t live without your TikTok dose—at least until the politics become evident in the next few days—stick to the web.

You can try to register a new account on the web with an email address or a non-U.S. cell phone number. Be careful; TikTok will likely point you to the app “for security reasons” and interrupt the signup process midstream. I did say this is painful.

What you need is a fresh account setup outside the U.S. If you have someone you trust in a different nation, have them do this for you and set up an account with an email address, not a phone number. It can be your email address, and you’ll need to provide them the code you are supplied. They’ll need to log out of their usual account first.

Then with a real new account that has been registered outside the U.S., you can use TikTok from inside the U.S. This is when your VPN kicks in; just modify the territory to somewhere in Europe. Just be careful which VPN you use—free ones are hazardous. I’d also advise selecting the same nation that your fresh account was joined up from within. Theoretically, your SIM country identification will still be displayed, as will the geographical identifiers in your browser. But private browsing and a VPN should suffice. If not, log in from a tablet or PC without a cell connection.

While this permits you to experiment with the app, your personal account will not be available in any form until the prohibition is lifted or TikTok offers some method around this for U.S. registered users. In truth, there was no real motivation for the platform to go this far, this fast, as it has been evident that no enforcement will take place until the change in administration. But it has produced the perfect degree of attention, and it’s beautifully prepared for a heroic rescue mission next week to mass public praise.