This article will cover what actually happens to your TikTok account when you uninstall the app. This is an important topic because many users are curious about the effects of uninstalling TikTok due to privacy concerns or wanting a break from the app. Understanding what data and account information is retained or deleted after uninstalling can help users make informed decisions.
TikTok Data Removal
Simply uninstalling the TikTok app does not delete your data or account. When you uninstall the app, TikTok retains all of the data associated with your account, including your profile information, videos, messages, and other content. Your account remains active unless you specifically request deletion.
To fully delete your TikTok data, you must submit an account deletion request separately after uninstalling the app. This initiates the process of removing your account profile and all associated data from TikTok’s servers. According to TikTok’s privacy policy, it can take up to 30 days for your data to be fully deleted after requesting account removal. During this time, your account is deactivated but not yet permanently deleted.
As noted in this CBC News article, uninstalling TikTok prevents any further data collection, but does not touch existing data already gathered by TikTok. You must proactively request data deletion to remove your information.
Video Content
When you uninstall the TikTok app, the videos you’ve posted will remain on TikTok unless you delete them first. Uninstalling the app alone does not remove your videos or account. Your videos and profile remain visible to other users even after uninstalling TikTok.
To delete videos, you need to reinstall the app and login to your account. There is no way to mass delete all your videos at once. You have to go into each individual video and delete it. This can be time consuming if you have a lot of videos posted.
According to TikTok experts, “Your videos remain on TikTok after uninstalling. Account required to delete them.” (source)
The only way to remove your videos is to login and delete each one manually. So if you want your videos gone from TikTok, make sure to remove them before uninstalling the app.
Followers/Following
Your followers and who you follow are not affected when deleting the app. Uninstalling TikTok only removes the app from your device and does not impact your account or social connections. Removing followers | TikTok Help Center explains how you can manually unfollow accounts if desired after reinstalling TikTok. But simply deleting the app will not remove any of your existing followers or who you currently follow. Your profile, connections, likes, and all account details remain intact and will be there when you reinstall TikTok and log back in.
Login Access
You can still login and access your account after uninstalling TikTok. Uninstalling the app does not deactivate your account or remove your login credentials. As long as you remember your username, password, email, or phone number associated with your TikTok account, you can login again after reinstalling the app on your device [1]. Your login information is stored on TikTok’s servers, not locally on your device. So uninstalling TikTok simply removes the app from your device – it does not affect the actual TikTok account.
Some users have reported being temporarily logged out or unable to access their account immediately after uninstalling and reinstalling the app. This is likely due to a syncing issue and can usually be fixed by waiting a bit, resetting your password, or contacting TikTok support. Overall, your ability to login and access your existing TikTok account remains intact after uninstalling the app as long as you have your login credentials.
Notifications
Once you uninstall the TikTok app from your device, you will stop receiving all notifications from TikTok. This includes likes, comments, followers, messages, and any other alerts you previously received through the app. TikTok’s notification system is directly tied to having the app installed, so uninstalling it will cut off all notifications immediately.
Some users have reported still receiving some delayed or residual notifications just after uninstalling TikTok, likely due to cached data on their device or the notification servers. However, this normally stops within a day or two at most. Going forward, you can expect zero notifications from TikTok after removing the app.
If you later decide to reinstall TikTok, your notifications will resume normally once you log back into your account. The notification system is fully tied to the app itself, so uninstalling and reinstalling will turn notifications on and off accordingly.
Device Storage
Uninstalling will free up storage space on your device previously used by TikTok. Downloaded videos, cached data, and other files stored by the app will be removed from your phone or tablet’s storage when you delete TikTok. This can significantly reduce the amount of storage being used, especially if you had a lot of videos saved offline or the app’s cache had grown large.
According to sources, TikTok can take up a considerable amount of storage space on mobile devices. By uninstalling the app, all files, cached data, and videos associated with your TikTok account will be deleted. This will clear up space on your device’s internal storage that was being occupied by the TikTok app and its data.
Usage Data
One of the main types of data TikTok collects is usage data, which includes details on how you interact with the app. This includes the videos you watch, accounts you follow, hashtags you search, comments you make, and more. According to a CBC News report, this data helps TikTok personalize the content you see in your feed.
Once you uninstall TikTok from your device, the app will no longer be able to track your usage or collect any new data moving forward. As soon as the app is deleted, it loses access to monitor what content you view, how long you spend in the app, who you follow or interact with, and other usage details. Without the app installed, TikTok cannot actively gather any new usage data.
Accidental Deactivation
Simply uninstalling the TikTok app is different from fully deleting your account. When you uninstall the app, your profile, videos, likes, comments, and followers will all still be there if you reinstall TikTok later. Your account remains active even if the app is deleted from your device.
In contrast, deleting your account removes everything associated with it. Your profile, content, followers, likes, comments, and all other data is permanently erased if you choose to delete your account. TikTok states that once an account is deleted, it cannot be restored.
Therefore, uninstalling the app only removes TikTok from your device storage, while leaving your account intact. Fully deleting your account erases all traces of your presence on TikTok.
Reinstalling TikTok
If you later change your mind after uninstalling TikTok, you can simply redownload and reinstall the app from the App Store or Google Play Store to restore your account. According to a guide by Business Insider, “To confirm that you wish to recover your account, click Reactivate. Your account will then be recovered and you can continue to use it as normal…”1
Reinstalling TikTok after uninstalling will restore your previous account, including your profile information, followers/following, video content, notifications, and other data. You can pick right back up where you left off. The one exception is if your account was banned prior to uninstalling the app, in which case you would need to appeal the ban.
Overall, unless you explicitly deleted your account before uninstalling TikTok, you can get everything back simply by redownloading the app and logging in again. This provides a relatively easy way to take a break from TikTok while still being able to restore your presence if desired later on.
