SUMMARY
TikTok saw a 4% drop in new installs users across the Apple App Store and Google Play
The app gained 177 Mn first-time users in 2019’s third quarter
TikTok has been installed by around 564 Mn in 2019
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Since its launch in 2017, the short video creating app, TikTok, is witnessing a global downfall of its users globally. According to the reports put forward by Sensor Tower Shows, an app store marketing intelligence platform, TikTok saw a 4% drop in new installs across the Apple App Store and Google Play. The data compared third-quarter reports, which ended in September, to the last year’s performance of the app during the same time frame.
According to a media report, the app gained 177 Mn first-time users in 2019’s third quarter. Notably, this was the first time wherein, on a quarterly basis, the Chinese app saw a drop in new installs.
The reports also highlighted that in 2019, TikTok was installed around 564 Mn times and since its launch, the app garnered 1.45 Bn users.
Why TikTok Might Be Losing The Game?
In a bid to increase its app installs, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has been investing a lot of money in advertising the app over Facebook and Instagram. However, amid the HongKong tensions, TikTok got a backlash from Facebook on issues related to freedom of speech.
Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg had then said that TikTok is a potential threat to the freedom of speech. He further alleged that TikTok didn’t even allow users to mention the ongoing Hong Kong protests on its platform.
The company is also witnessing flak from US lawmakers. In a letter to acting director of US-based National Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, two senate leaders have asked the intelligence agency to take a closer look at Chinese TikTok.
“With over 110 million downloads in the US alone, TikTok is a potential counterintelligence threat we cannot ignore,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) have written in the letter.
However, the ByteDance backed app has refuted any claims of involvement with the Chinese government. In its response, TikTok said that they aren’t influenced by any foreign government, including the Chinese government.
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