Don’t buy overpriced used iPhones with TikTok installed

If you want to download the TikTok app onto your iPhone and you live in the U.S., you’re currently out of luck due to an ongoing ban. Because of this, some would-be entrepreneurs are attempting to make a quick buck on eBay by selling iPhones with the TikTok app pre-installed.

People are attempting to sell used iPhones “Unlocked with TikTok App” on the site for as much as $50,000, as first noted by Wired. To make these deals even less appealing, some of these listings are for iPhone 12 Pro Max models first released in 2020, and not even the latest iPhone 16 models.

Wired explains: “A quick search for ‘TikTok phone’ brings up more than 9,000 listings of used smartphones from the likes of Apple and Samsung, all with the TikTok app already installed.”

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Why would anyone want one?

Messages showing that the TikTok app is not available to download in the U.S. Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

This past weekend, both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store removed the TikTok app from their platforms in the U.S. This action followed the decision by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to disable the service in the country to comply with a new law that made the app illegal due to national security concerns.

Shortly after taking office, President-elect Donald J. Trump said he would sign an executive order allowing TikTok to continue operations for at least another 75 days. On the afternoon of Monday, January 20, he signed this executive order from the Oval Office shortly after he was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States.

Despite this, the TikTok app remains unavailable in app stores for new downloads. When the app was initially pulled from the App Store, Apple said it was “obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates.” Neither Apple nor Google have indicated when or if the app would return.

Why it’s a bad idea

If you are in the U.S. and have either deleted the TikTok app, lost your phone, or never installed it, there is currently no legal way to download it onto your device. If your device already has TikTok installed, it will work as intended.

What can you do if you don’t have the TikTok app installed on your iPhone 16, Google Pixel 9, or any other smartphone?  Don’t ditch your phone, go to eBay, and purchase an expensive phone with TikTok pre-installed. A much less costly way to access TikTok on your mobile device is to visit tiktok.com from your browser.

In addition to the high price some sellers are charging for an iPhone with the TikTok app pre-installed, there are several further reasons why buying one would be problematic and may lead to significant complications. If the TikTok app is already installed on the device, it means someone has used their Apple ID to do get it. Consequently, you would need access to their Apple ID and password to update the app in the future, which you likely won’t have.

Moreover, it’s important to consider that unless you completely wipe the phone, that person could use Activation Lock to reset the phone remotely at any time. Looked at another way, if you reset the phone (as you should anytime you purchase a used iPhone), the TikTok app will no longer be available anyway, undermining the very reason you purchased the phone in the first place. TikTok’s future in the U.S. is still uncertain. United States law now requires TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to U.S. buyer or face a permanent ban.