KATHMANDU: An American judge has issued a temporary injunction preventing a ban on future downloads of the TikTok app, BBC reported.

The app had faced being blocked from Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play marketplace from 23:59 Eastern time.

Existing US-based users would have been able to continue using it. But they would not have been able to re-download the app if they deleted it from their phones, nor have been offered software updates.

Judge Carl Nichols of the US District Court for the District of Columbia issued a temporary injunction on Sunday evening at the request of TikTok. The opinion was sealed, meaning that no reason for the decision was released.

In a statement, TikTok said it was pleased with the decision, and vowed to keep defending its rights.

“We’re pleased that the court agreed with our legal arguments and issued an injunction preventing the implementation of the TikTok app ban,” the statement said.

(With inputs from Agencies)