iPhones with TikTok installed for sale on eBay for thousands as app remains unavailable on Apple store
Since TikTok is still not available in US app stores, IPHONES having the software installed have been selling for thousands of dollars on eBay.
Fans are still eagerly awaiting the reintroduction of the short-video platform to Google Play and the Apple App Store, even if President Donald Trump has temporarily lifted the TikTok ban.
Some have put their iPhones with the TikTok app loaded up for sale at exorbitant prices in an attempt to profit from the controversy surrounding the app.
The price of an iPhone running TikTok, TikTok Studio, with the video editing tool Capcut loaded has reached $111,000 (90,000) on eBay.
Up to $50,000 (40,500) has been mentioned for other devices with simply TikTok installed and in different model variants.
Depending on the model and condition, several have been listed for between the mid-hundreds to low-thousands.
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The majority of TikTok phones are sold in the United States.
However, some advertisements from the UK promise “fast shipping to America” instead.
The majority of postings have no active bids, however it’s unclear if the iPhones with TikTok installed are selling.
Even after the brief restriction on Sunday, TikTok remains accessible to US users who have the program installed on their phones.
Nevertheless, until TikTok makes its way back to app stores, people who erased or never downloaded the app are still shut out.
Despite the fact that Trump signed an executive order delaying the implementation of the ban, it is unclear when TikTok will return to app stores.
The ‘Flappy Bird’ effect
By Senior Technology & Science Reporter Millie Turner
Not only is TikTok not the first app to create such a stir, but it probably won’t be the last.
Do you recall Flappy Bird? In 2013, the tap-happy game became a global sensation.
It inspired dozens of imitators and was a craze, especially among kids.
However, its sole developer, Dong Nguyen, took it out of app stores in 2014, when it was at its peak of popularity and earning $50,000 (or $38,000) a day from in-app advertisements.
The cause of the shock disappearance was the subject of several rumors.
In actuality, Nguyen felt bad about the game’s tendency to become addicting.
At the time, he tweeted, “I apologize to ‘Flappy Bird’ users, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down in 22 hours.”
“I cannot take this anymore.”
Phones with Flappy Bird still installed were selling on eBay for between $300 (243), and $90,000 (73,000), not long after the game was taken down.
In order to profit quickly, dozens of ambitious eBay sellers started to capitalize on the popularity of the free game.
According to The Guardian at the time, one auction went for as much as $90,000, although the majority of listings were between $300 and $5,000.