How To Delete TikTok Account Permanently

TikTok, a Chinese app that entered the social media burg in 2017 became popular in no time and it now has reached an estimated 1 billion users worldwide. If you have reached the silver jubilee milestone like me, the TikTok app or any spicy news around it might not catch your interest (all work and no play makes Jack a dull responsible being). For us, Instagram works just fine, capture a good picture, edit it or add the instant filters from the app, put a decent caption & voila the job is done. But in case some of you feel TikTok is wasting too much of your precious time, a simple solution might be to delete TikTok account.

This product from the Chinese company ByteDance has had a great influence on millennials or to simply say, teenagers. The app which became popular with Gen Z showed us how trend shift so quickly from a platform like Facebook that features a news feed, create events, add the transition to videos, etc to a short-form video app that kids use to upload lip-syncing videos and comedic content.

Even celebrities couldn’t escape the glitzy beat of this app and many presume that TikTok might become the new face on the social media platform.

READ | How To Download TikTok Videos Without Watermark On iOS & Android

But although this new contender witnessed a growth surge in just three years, like other social media apps (mostly Facebook) TikTok has been facing shrewd criticism since its debut. Recently the US lawmakers introduced a bill seeking prohibition of the use of the TikTok video app on government devices. A class-action lawsuit filed in California last year accused the app of illegally and secretly collecting users’ personal data and sending it to China.

Legal issues aside, there are some odd provisos on the app itself for instance even if you post some pun-intended (not random but sensible) video feed on TikTok there is highly any chance that you might get as equal popularity as those Gen Z celebrities. Moreover, even if you take up those hashtag challenges and get decent likes, and followers, TikTok would barely put that on the trending list (#reality: only celebs are able to influence and amass over a million followers within a few weeks).

Having said that, if this Chinese app didn’t turn out the way you expected it to be and want to delete an old TikTok account, here is how you can do it. This step-by-step guide on how to delete the TikTok account permanently can be done both via the Android and iOS platforms.

• How to delete TikTok account on Android
• How to delete TikTok account on iOS

How To Delete TikTok Account Permanently on Android

Follow the below-mentioned steps to delete your TikTok account on Android smartphones and tablets easily:-

1. Open the TikTok app – click on the TikTok icon on your Android smartphone home screen or in the app drawer (if your phone has one).
2. The app once is opened, tap on the profile icon you will see at the bottom right corner a Me option beside the Inbox.
3. Upon clicking the Me button it will lead to your profile page where you see the number of followers, users following you, and likes; at the top right corner, you will find a three-dot menu (Kebab Menu). 
4. The three-dot menu when tapped opens the Privacy & Settings page.
5. Select the first option – “Manage my account mentioned under Account.
6. For deleting your account you are required to add your phone number as TikTok will send you a code to verify your number and further verify deleting the account.
7. Once you have entered the number click on the Send Code button, and you will get an OTP; upon entering the OTP your number will be registered.
8. After the number is added, the app redirects to the home page, tap the Me option again, click on the three-dot menu and open Manage my account.
9. Scroll down and you will find ‘Delete account’ at the bottom of the screen.
10. By tapping on the Delete account it leads to the verification page where it prompts you to complete SMS verification.
11. Below the message, you will see a Send Code option, tap and a code will be generated, enter it, and press Continue.
12. A confirmation page will pop up with information (rather terms & conditions) that is entailed with the deletion of the TikTok account.
13. Select the Delete account option again to reconfirm following which a message will pop up on the screen saying “You are about to delete your TikTok account. Are you sure you want to continue,” tap on Delete and that’s it you’re done with the deactivation of TikTok account.
    

Note: Deleting your TikTok account is permanent and can’t be reversed. A deleted account can’t be recovered. 

How To Delete TikTok Account on iOS – iPhone/iPad

Follow the below-mentioned steps to delete your TikTok account on iPhone and iPad easily:-

1. Open the TikTok app – click on the TikTok icon on your iOS device (iPhone / iPad) home screen.
2. The app once is opened, tap on the profile icon located at the bottom right corner a Me option beside the Inbox icon.
3. Upon tapping the Me button it will lead to your TikTok profile page where you see the number of followers, users following you, and likes; at the top right corner, you will find a horizontal three-dot menu (also called Metaballs Menu). Tap on it.
4. The three-dot menu when tapped opens the Privacy & settings page. Now, tap on the first option – Manage my account mentioned under Account.
5. Scroll down to the Manage my account page and you will find Delete account at the bottom of the screen. Tap on it.
   
6. By tapping on the Delete account it leads to the verification page where it prompts you to complete SMS verification. Below the message, you will see a Send Code option, tap and a code will be generated, enter it and tap on Continue.
7. A confirmation page will pop up with information (rather terms & conditions page) that is entailed with the deletion of your TikTok account. Select the Delete account option.
8. Again to reconfirm a dialog box will pop up on the screen saying “You are about to delete your TikTok account. Are you sure you want to continue,” tap on Delete and that’s it you’re done with the deactivation of the TikTok account on iPhone.
   

Conclusion – How to delete TikTok Account Permanently

So here’s a complete guide on how to delete your TikTok account permanently without a password and do away with the lip-syncing music video app. But before you follow the process there are a few things you should consider. Once you cancel your account TikTok permanently removes it from its domain meaning you won’t be able to log in again with that username anymore. Further TikTok in its support page mentions that a user will lose access to the videos that they’ve posted. Moreover, TikTok won’t refund any money for the items that you have purchased.

Kind of disappointing, isn’t it? In case you have right away followed the steps and deleted your TikTok Musical.ly account (and somewhat fuming now for following the steps) don’t worry, TikTok gives a 30-day exit window, so you can log in within the stipulated time to reactivate your account.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)