Downloading TikTok Is Easy — Until It Isn’t. What’s Wrong?

We’ve all become accustomed to a world where just about everything works like it’s supposed to. But when we run into an unexpected glitch, we’re often left helpless because electronic and computer issues are much more difficult to troubleshoot than mechanical ones.

You’ve probably reached this page because you’re experiencing one of those unexpected glitches. Downloading and installing an app is theoretically simple. You go to the App Store or Google Play Store, hit “Download” on the app you want to add to your phone, and — presto! — it’s there and ready for use.

Then why would you be having a problem putting TikTok onto your phone or device?

Why Can’t I Download TikTok?

There are only three elements involved when you’re trying to download the TikTok app onto your phone. Let’s see what could be going wrong with each of them, starting with the most likely culprit.

Your Location and Connection

TikTok is banned in a handful of countries (although not the United States as of this writing).

If you’re in India, Afghanistan, Somalia, Albania, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, or Jordan, that could explain your issue. TikTok also can’t be downloaded in China, where users must use sister app Douyin instead. Readers in Western nations who are trying to put TikTok onto a government phone may also be facing download bans.

However, the problem probably isn’t where you live, but the specific location where you’re trying to download the app. If you don’t have a strong and stable Internet connection, downloads can be prevented or interrupted. You may have to move to a different part of the room or building, or switch to a different network or provider, to find a signal that’s good enough for downloading.

Your Phone

TikTok is known as a “resource hog,” and even downloading and installing the app may require more storage space than you have available on your phone; a minimum of 500MB is required. If you have an Android device, the best starting point is clearing the cache in Chrome; on iPhones, it’s clearing Safari’s cache. You can also dump a few saved movies or large files to clear space.

Other phone settings may also be getting in the way. Make sure you’re not in airplane mode, and that downloads aren’t blocked on your device if you’re subject to Family Link restrictions (on Androids) or Screen Time restrictions (on iOS devices).

Finally, you’ll run into problems downloading TikTok if you’re on an old device. iPhones and iPads must be running iOS 12.0, and Android operating systems must be version 5.0 or later to allow proper downloading and functioning of the app. Upgrade your OS (or your phone) if it’s just too old to handle TikTok.

Your App Store and the Social Media Platform

It’s rare, but TikTok, the Google Play Store, or the Apple App Store may be experiencing rare technical issues that temporarily prevent downloads. Just wait a few minutes, and the problems should be resolved.

There’s a better chance that the Google Play or App Store app on your phone is preventing you from downloading. Clear the app’s cache and data; you’ll see that option by opening the app in your phone’s Settings, and if that doesn’t do the job, reinstall Google Play or the App Store, depending on your device.

Few people ever run into problems downloading TikTok to their phone, but this checklist should let you troubleshoot the issue you’re having and get onto the app quickly. If you’re a first-time TikTok user, it’s worth the wait!