TikTok surpassed 2 billion downloads on Wednesday, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower.
This is combined downloads from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. And it is just five months after the app surpassed 1.5 billion downloads.
Of course, the global pandemic that is forcing everyone to stay home, is likely helping TikTok accelerate its growth. As more and more people are searching for things to keep themselves busy during this quarantine.
India, China and the US are TikTok’s biggest markets
Nearly a third of the downloads for TikTok come from India. Which might explain why there are so many videos on the platform from Indian users.
China has about 9.7% of the share and the US comes in third at 8.2%. TikTok is a Chinese social media platform, so it’s a little crazy that China is so far behind India here.
Currently, TikTok is mostly used by teens and young adults. Users are able to post videos that are up to 15 seconds long. These videos are usually synced with music, and a lot of the challenges that you see on other platforms now, originate from TikTok.
TikTok has a load of funny videos that you can watch and share with others. You can literally spend hours on the app, as there is a ton of content there. And likely more now since everyone is out of work and school with nothing else to do. There are many of TikTok influencers out there that are starting to make some money off of TikTok, which could make it another threat to YouTube, Instagram and even Twitter.
TikTok has been under increasing scrutiny in recent months
Because TikTok is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, the platform has come under increased scrutiny recently. And this is mainly due to its rise in popularity.
The US is always skeptical of any app that comes out of China. As the country feels that China would use anything to spy on other countries, and while that might be true, it definitely sucks for any apps from China that make it big worldwide.
US lawmakers have said that the app is a threat to national security. Two branches of the military have already banned the app from government devices, over that fear.
To its credit though, TikTok has stopped routing its videos through Chinese servers. Which, for TikTok it makes sense to route them through servers in China, likely at their headquarters.