Ban on 'made-in-China' apps gives India's TikTok rivals a boost

Chingari and other big beneficiaries enjoy download spike but challenges remain

A ban in India on 59 Chinese apps has led to a surge in the number of people using locally developed software.

ROSEMARY MARANDI, Contributing writer

July 9, 2020 18:13 JST

MUMBAI -- India's decision to ban 59 'made-in-China' apps is proving a blessing to local software developers, especially alternatives to video-sharing social networking service TikTok, which until the ban had 200 million users in the country.

The Indian government at the end of June blocked apps including ByteDance's TikTok, Tencent Holdings' messaging app WeChat and the UC Browser owned by Alibaba Group Holding. The trigger for the ban is widely believed to be the deadly clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in the Himalayas on June 15.