When you think of the world’s most popular apps, the first name comes into your mind: Facebook. If not, then WhatsApps or Instagram. Interestingly, all these apps belong to one single company – Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB). The equations are fast getting changed as the dominance of Facebook is actively challenged by the ByteDace owned TikTok which has become the world’s only non-Facebook app that has crossed 3 billion downloads globally!
For you, it may be surprising, but what’s even more surprising is the fact that the world’s most popular non-facebook app is blocked in the world’s largest market by the number of smartphone users, mobile app users, and population. Yes, we are talking about India.
According to the latest report from SensorTower, a mobile intelligence platform, TikTok has constantly been gaining popularity in all developed markets with each quarter. In the first six months of 2021, the number of TikTok downloads has already crossed 383 million, albeit at a much slower rate when compared with the number of downloads it received during the same period last year.
Record Number of TikTok Downloads: Big Picture
TikTok Downloads: Food For Thought
Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operative Officer – Facebook, once openly admitted that TikTok was the biggest threat to the dominance of Facebook. The increasing download numbers of TikTok proves how correct she was. But the world’s most popular non-Facebook app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is banned in India. While TikTok is constantly making every effort possible to iron out all privacy concerns Indian authorities have to their level of satisfaction – including setting up servers in India – the Indian government has shown no signs to go easy on TikTok.
Facebook, on the other hand, has been making the most of this ban. The social media behemoth shifted gears to promote Reels – the clone of TikTok – and lured all the TikTok stars and influencers in a quick session. Is the Facebook-Reliance partnership has an indirect influence on authorities to keep TikTok banned in India? Experts believe otherwise but have a thought-provoking question:
Why would a country keep the world’s one of the most popular app from china banned when the US – the arch-rival of China and have greater privacy concerns towards their users’ privacy – has no reservation against the app which is downloaded by millions of US smartphone users?
The question, unfortunately, remains unanswered!
