TikTok has stopped working in India even on VPN

Highlights
  • TikTok users in India are unable to access the mobile app using a VPN
  • The ban seems to be device ID-based rather than just IP-based

TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps have been banned in India after an order by the government on Monday. Following the government’s announcement, internet service providers like Airtel and Vodafone began blocking access to these banned apps in the country. So, if you already have an app like TikTok installed on your phone, you won’t be able to use it on any of the ISPs. This caused people to wonder whether TikTok and other banned Chinese apps can be accessed by using a VPN service. It seems that is not possible anymore as well. 

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Using a Virtual Proxy Network or VPN will seemingly not let you access TikTok in India. Many have taken to Twitter and other social media platforms to confirm that VPN services like Nord VPN and Express VPN are not allowing users to circumvent the ban. A VPN app allows you to mask your IP address and trick the internet into believing you’re accessing a website from another country. It allows you to access region-restricted websites in a safe and secure way. 

Some users say that they are unable to access TikTok using a VPN, while some others are reporting no issues in accessing the banned app. We tried accessing the TikTok mobile app using a VPN service to no success. However, we were able to access the platform through the web browser on our laptop using a VPN.

It is being speculated that TikTok is being blocked by device ID and IP address. This means that even if you mask your IP, the app won’t work if your device ID has been registered with TikTok previously. One way to bypass this as per some people is to install TikTok using a VPN on a brand new device or after rooting or resetting your exiting device.

We will update this story once we get more clarity on how the ban is being enforced in India.