TikTok has largely recovered from a slight dip in active users in the days following its ownership change, when a group of American investors took control of the video app’s operations in the United States. The decline, though brief, benefited competing video apps like UpScrolled and Skylight Social, which saw rapid user adoption as some looked for TikTok alternatives.
According to estimates from digital market intelligence firm Similarweb, TikTok saw usage dip into the range of 86-88 million daily active users in the U.S. immediately after the ownership change. That compares with a typical average of 92 million daily active users.
The app has bounced back to more than 90 million daily active users, indicating that many who left TikTok have since returned.
AsTikTok saw a small dip in usage, alternative video-sharing apps, UpScrolled and Skylight Social, began growing quickly. Although only a tiny fraction of TikTok’s size, UpScrolled topped 138,500 daily active users at its peak on January 28; it has now dropped back down to 68,000.
Meanwhile, Skylight Social hit 81,200 daily active users, according to Similarweb’s estimates and has since dropped to 56,300 daily active users. Overall, Skylight Social saw its user sign-ups increase to 380,000 as of late January, the company told TechCrunch.
Image Credits:Similarweb
TikTok’s usage decline, which prompted some to try the new apps, wasn’t driven by the ownership change directly, but rather by how users feared it would impact their TikTok experience. There were growing concerns about TikTok’s updated privacy policy, which gave the app permission to track users’ precise GPS location. (This addition could be related to TikTok’s tests of a “Nearby” feed to show users videos from local creators, but was added to the policy alongside the change in ownership, leading to user backlash over privacy concerns.)
When reading the privacy policy anew, some users also discovered disturbing language, like how TikTok said it may collect users’ “immigration status,” among other personal data. However, this turned out to be a reference that was included because of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which requires businesses to inform consumers if they collect certain sensitive data. TikTok does that — in the sense that anything someone shares on the platform in their video content technically becomes part of the platform, so it requires disclosure.
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