TikTok named as the most downloaded app of 2020

August 12, 2021

TikTok was the world’s most downloaded app in 2020—taking the top spot from the 2019 winner, Facebook Messenger, according to digital analytics company App Annie.

The Chinese video-sharing platform is the only app not owned by Facebook to make the global top five of downloads, according to a BBC report.

In its home country, TikTok’s owner ByteDance also holds the top spot, along with the Chinese language video app Douyin.

Indeed, TikTok’s popularity has soared—even after former U.S. President Donald Trump tried to ban it in America. The Trump Administration claimed that TikTok posed a national security risk as the Chinese government had access to its user data. The company repeatedly denied the allegations—and now the pressure is off.

Since becoming U.S. President in January, Joe Biden has withdrawn Trump’s executive order.

Facebook-owned apps have held the top spot since the survey started in 2018 and the company still dominated the chart in 2020. Although it didn’t take first place, Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giant accounted for the rest of the top five with Facebook’s flagship app, as well as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger all making an appearance.

Research contact: @BBC

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