For five consecutive quarters since the 2018, Tik Tok holds the title of the most downloaded app in App Store. Though the Chinese short video platform has only been around for less than three years.
Tik Tok reign over Facebook
It marked as the longest time when other app take over Facebook’s subsidiaries. Previously apps such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook tops the download number. And all of those three are under ownership by Facebook.
Tik Tok scored a 33 million download in Apple’s App Store this first quarter of 2019. While in Google Play store, it is at the third spot. Youtube, Instagram, What’sApp and Facebook’s Messenger followed behind.
ByteDance is the giant behind Tik Tok, as well as Alibaba‘s other subsidiaries. Initially, the app launched under the name of Douyin in China at September 2016. A year later, to expand to international market, ByteDance branded it as Tik Tok for international market.
Within a year since its launch, TikTok gained 100 million users in China, viewing 1 billion videos everyday. Now, it has around one billion users world wide, including celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon.
To enter US market, the Chinese firm acquired Californian startup, musical.ly. The strategy went well, as it gained around 100 million downloads in the US. But the road is bumpy for it.
Another ban in another country
In allegation that India collect personal information of children using the app, Tik Tok had to pay $6 million dollars. United States Federal Trade Commission accused them of violating children’s privacy law.
Within the same period, Indian government also banned the app from the country. The government penetrated the ban after some cyberbullying and censorship problems found in the app. The popularity of the app in the country put the app in $0.5 million casualty per day.
After an appeal on the Indian court, Indian government agreed to lift the ban. But Tik Tok has to delete millions of videos from its app. Similar case had happened in other countries such as Indonesia too.
