Douyin, TikTok notch 1.5 billion downloads across iOS and Android

Short video app Douyin and its overseas version TikTok have been downloaded more than 1.5 billion times on Apple’s App Store and Google Play since release, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Why it matters: Despite a slowdown in 2019, TikTok is still one of the world’s most popular apps, led only by Facebook’s WhatsApp and Messenger in total downloads in the non-gaming category this year.

Details: Douyin and TikTok have accumulated 614 million downloads in 2019 across Apple’s App Store and Google Play as of Nov. 14, a 6% increase compared with the same period a year ago.

  • In comparison, WhatsApp and Messenger have 707.4 million and 636.2 million installs so far this year, respectively.
  • Users from India accounted for the largest share of the 1.5 billion cumulative downloads, with 31% of all unique installs coming from the country.
  • Around 11.5% of all installs came from China in the form of Douyin downloads, while users in the US generated approximately 8.2% of the 1.5 billion total.
  • The 1.5 billion figure excludes installs from third-party Android stores in China.
  • India continued to drive growth for TikTok in 2019, accounting for 45% of all global installs for the year across the two apps as of Nov. 14, according to the data.
  • User spending on Douyin and TikTok rose every month starting February. Cumulative global user spend for 2019 reached $115.3 million across Apple’s App Store and Google Play as of Nov. 14.

Context: TikTok faces uncertainties in the US as lawmakers scrutinize the app for potential privacy and national security risks.

  • The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on Nov. 2 began looking into Bytedance’s acquisition of Musical.ly in 2017 at the request of Senator Marco Rubio.
  • In October, Senators Chuck Schumer and Tom Cotton asked for a separate review of TikTok to assess potential national security risks. Schumer also raised questions last week about the US Army’s use of TikTok for recruitment.
  • Republican Senator John Hawley organized a congressional hearing on Nov. 5 to explore the privacy and security concerns posed by popular social platforms, which TikTok declined to attend.

 

 

– This article originally appeared on TechNode.