Popular short video app TikTok has emerged as the most downloaded social media app in India during the ongoing lockdown, according to data prepared by app analytics firm App Annie, which was accessed by The Economic Times (ET).
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According to data compiled by Annie, TikTok’s download on IOS and Google Play Store notched up by 20% since the lockdown began on March 22. This 20% increase is compared to January of this year. The San Francisco based Annie probably did not share the exact download numbers with ET.
The latest figures clearly suggests that TikTok continues to surge ahead in India despite its sustained unpopularity with certain section of the Indian population. A minority section of Indian people, driven by patriotic zeal, has often called for ban on the controversial app due to its Chinese connection. The outcry for ban was once again doing rounds across social media during the lockdown period, with many Indians blaming China for the spread of coronavirus across India.
TikTok was actually temporarily banned in India last year, following the Supreme Court order. But the ban was eventually revoked while the controversy made a little impact on app’s sustained popularity in the country. In fact, experts believe that the controversy further helped the Chinese app in gaining more ground in the Indian market.
While TikTok topped the chart for maximum number of downloads, WhatsApp and Facebook followed closely with second and third spots.
Annie’s data claimed that, apart from social media apps, video conferencing apps witnessed significant download traction during the lockdown period. This claim coincides with the growing popularity of Zoom app – a popular video conferencing app – across the world.
However, like TikTok, Zoom app is also being plagued by growing controversy due to the security issues.
The other apps that witnessed significant surge during the lockdown period includes AaJ Tak, Instagram, JIo Tv and Amazon Prime Video.
