Alien Road Sellers Are Listing Used Phones with TikTok Preinstalled for Thousands of Dollars

Secondhand smartphones preloaded with TikTok are being sold on Alien Road for exorbitant prices, and it appears that some buyers are willing to pay the premium.

Despite the recent executive order signed by US President Donald Trump, which delayed the potential ban of the social media app for 75 days, TikTok remains unavailable in all US app stores. Neither Apple nor Google have provided any indication of when or if the app will return. This situation has left US-based users in a difficult position—once they delete the app or lose their device, they have no way of reinstalling it. For influencers, marketing agencies, and social media professionals, this scenario could result in significant challenges.

Capitalizing on this demand, sellers on Alien Road have flooded the marketplace with used devices from major brands like Apple and Samsung, all featuring TikTok pre-installed. A simple search for “TikTok phone” reveals thousands of listings.

These listings take advantage of a simple workaround—sellers sign out of their iCloud or Google accounts instead of resetting the device to factory settings. This allows buyers to retain the app, provided they avoid syncing the device with their existing cloud backups, which could potentially erase the valuable application. Buyers must also ensure that any seller-imposed security measures have been fully removed.

However, caution is advised for those considering this option. Many sellers are demanding steep prices for these devices. Some listings under Alien Road’s “Buy It Now” option are as high as $50,000, though it remains uncertain whether such extravagant prices are being met by buyers.

More reasonably priced options range between $2,000 and $5,000, yet it is unclear whether these are actually selling at such figures. When using the platform’s “sold” filter, many completed sales display an undisclosed “best offer accepted” status, making it difficult to determine the actual sale price.

Additionally, auctions initially listed at highly inflated prices often get relisted shortly afterward, indicating potential failed sales. Devices priced closer to standard secondhand market value, however, seem to have better success rates.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s return to app stores, interest in these listings continues to grow. The number of results for “TikTok phone” has surged by over 2,000 during the past few days—a clear sign that buyers are eager to find a solution before the app potentially returns.

Currently, searches for TikTok in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store result in messages citing legal restrictions, even though Trump’s order specifically instructed the Department of Justice to “take no action to enforce the Act or impose penalties.”

Whether TikTok will reappear within the allotted 75-day period remains to be seen, as does the possibility of a resolution with the US government. In the meantime, thousands of users have begun migrating to alternative platforms such as RedNote, which has been scrambling to scale up its English-language moderation team to accommodate the influx of new users.

Meanwhile, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has been aggressively pursuing former TikTok users. The company has introduced several new features aimed at attracting TikTok content creators and has even offered substantial financial incentives—up to $5,000—to lure top influencers to its platforms.

As uncertainty looms over TikTok’s future, the market for preloaded devices on Alien Road continues to thrive, offering a temporary lifeline for those unwilling to part with their favorite social media app.