Chinese web giant ByteDance has announced strategies to discontinue 2 of its apps in India, its greatest overseas market, and advised users to move to TikTok.
Vigo Video and Vigo Lite, 2 apps that permit users to produce and share short-form sketches and lip-syncing to Bollywood tunes, posted a message early Monday (local time) to reveal that they would be ceased at the end of October this year.
In its post, entitled “a goodbye letter,” ByteDance stated it was distressed to close down the apps however did not use an explanation for the decision. Indian news outlet Entrackr initially spotted the letter.
Unlike TikTok, ByteDance’s most popular app, Vigo Video and Vigo Lite have struggled to make inroads on the planet’s second largest web market. While TikTok has more than 200 million users in India, Vigo Video had about 4 million month-to-month active users last month in India and Vigo Lite might only amass 1.5 million users, according to one of the leading mobile insight firms– data of which an industry executive shown TechCrunch.
While Vigo Video got fewer than 1 million users in a year, Vigo Lite shredded simply as lots of in the exact same duration, the data revealed.
Both the apps counted India as their greatest market but have been offered in a number of other markets, including surrounding nation Bangladesh. It’s uncertain whether ByteDance is stopping the apps in every market.
Updated on June 15, 11: 55 am IST: the apps have currently been discontinued in Brazil and the Middle East and will close down in every other market, a spokesperson informed TechCrunch. Monday’s announcement follows ByteDance closing down its news aggregator service TopBuzz earlier this month.
The closure of Vigo, despite the apps’ poor reception in India, comes as a surprise. Recruitment posts submitted by ByteDance as late as last month described Vigo as one of the business’s biggest services in India.
ByteDance also runs Helo app, which makes it possible for users to share their ideas with buddies, and Lark, a performance suite similar to Google Drive. The company just recently stopped charging Lark clients in India for the foreseeable future in reaction to the coronavirus crises.
Other recent job recruitment posts expose that the business is aiming to hire executives to strongly check out methods to monetize its services in the country.
ByteDance’s TikTok app has actually been inspected in India in recent weeks for failing to actively remove videos that promoted violence, animal ruthlessness, racism, kid abuse, and objectification of ladies.
In its message to users on Vigo apps today, ByteDance said it will assist them migrate their videos to TikTok. On TikTok, “you will be able to reveal your skill to a larger group of friends. We are eager to see you [there]!” the message reads.
TechCrunch.
