Apple has no interest in acquiring TikTok, the company said on Tuesday, denying a report by news website Axios from earlier in the day.
Axios, citing sources outside Apple, earlier reported the iPhone maker has expressed interest in buying the ByteDance-owned firm.
Microsoft is currently negotiating a deal to acquire the popular short-video app, with a 45-day deadline imposed by President Trump’s administration.
Last week, Trump said he was planning to ban TikTok amid concerns its Chinese ownership represents a national security risk because of the personal data it handles.