Chingari, India’s alternate to Chinese TikTok, has already been downloaded for over 30 lakh times on Google Play Store. The report suggests that the desi version of the TikTok is witnessing nearly 1 lakh downloads and over 2 million views per hour since the government banned 59 Chinese apps over national security concerns. The short-video sharing app is available to download on the Apple App Store as well and has 4.2 ratings. So, what is this Chingari app?

Chingari: Introduction

Founded by Bengaluru-based programmers Biswatma Nayak and Siddharth Gautam, Chingari app was initially developed in 2018 but it was introduced on iOS in 2019. The app which is on the hot list on Google Play Store, has also surpassed another Indian TikTok rival, Mitron app.

Similar to TikTok, Chingari allows a user to download and upload videos, chat with friends, interact with new people, share content, and browse through feed.

A Chingari user gets the opportunity to get creative with WhatsApp status, videos, audio clips, GIF stickers, and photos.

Additionally, the app is available in languages including English, Hindi, Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.

Chingari pays for viral content:

Chingari also pays its users based on how viral the content creator’s video becomes.

For each video a user uploads on the app, the content creator gets points per view and these points can be redeemed for money.

Rise of Chingari:

With tension between India-China on the ridges or ‘fingers’ area around the Pangon Tso continues, anti-China sentiments have deepened their roots in the country. This has pushed millions of people to boycott the Chinese apps, services and other products even before the government banned them.

“Since the word spread that Indians now have a homegrown and more entertaining alternative to TikTok, we have been recording traffic beyond expectations on our app,” said Nayak.

“As Chingari is setting new benchmarks, a lot of investors are showing interest in our app. We are holding crucial discussions to get a good investor(s) on board so as to scale up our free-of-cost social platform,” Nayak said in a statement.

Even the tech-savvy industrialist Anand Mahindra “who never used TikTok” has downloaded Chingari and tweeted about it, saying “More power to you”.

The Chingari app is available on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store.