The idea that TikTok was spying on phones was out almost as soon as TikTok was created. I think Apple is concerned about Trump's recent executive order and the consequences of helping China spy on their users.
I'm on the verge of just describing big tech as "disgusting". They let themselves be run by their commie workforce, who tells them they're not allowed to partner with the US government and military because of how evil the US is, but then partnering with China and Chinese companies, where pretty much every entity is linked to Chinese government intelligence, is just hunky dory.