San Francisco, Aug 4 (IANS): Apple on Tuesday clarified that it is not interested in acquiring TikTok after some reports surfaced, saying the iPhone maker is willing to buy the China-based short-video making app.

After Microsoft confirmed it was in talks to acquire TikTok, a report in Axios claimed that Apple has expressed "serious interest" in acquiring the short-form video making platform.

"The company tells The Verge that there are no talks at present to acquire TikTok, and it has no plans to pursue such a deal," said the report.

"Such a deal would be unusual for Apple, which has been broadly critical of targeted advertising, a practice at the center of TikTok's business".

The Axios report claimed that Apple has expressed interest in potentially acquiring TikTok.

Microsoft on Sunday confirmed it is in talks to acquire the operations of video-sharing platform TikTok in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand markets following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald Trump.

Trump has said that the country should get a large percentage of the proceeds if part of the short video-sharing platform TikTok's business is bought by an American firm.