IPhones with TikTok Surge Amid App Uncertainty

The ongoing uncertainty surrounding TikTok's availability in the U.S. has created a lucrative secondary market for devices with the app pre-installed, following its removal from major app stores like Apple and Google due to a potential U.S. ban. Sellers on platforms such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace are listing iPhones with TikTok for prices as high as $50,000, capitalizing on the scarcity and high demand for the app. Some entrepreneurs are offering TikTok installation services for around $50, bypassing app store restrictions. The ban's temporary suspension by President Trump has given ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, more time to negotiate a sale to a U.S. entity, with several American investors expressing interest. Amidst this, a bidding war for TikTok's U.S. operations has intensified, with a group led by Jesse Tinsley and backed by MrBeast proposing over $20 billion, despite ByteDance's current lack of response.