TikTok hits 2 bn downloads; becomes most installed app amid Covid-19 crisis

TikTok has surpassed two billion downloads worldwide on the App Store and Google Play. The latest milestone comes just five months after TikTok surpassed 1.5 billion downloads. In Q1 2020, it generated the most downloads for any app ever in a quarter, accumulating more than 315 million installs across the App Store and Google Play.

TikTok's latest surge comes amid the global Covid-19 pandemic, which has seen consumers drawn to their mobile devices more than ever as they look for new ways to shop, work, and connect with others.

In India, the short video making app leads the chart with more than 600 million downloads or about 30.3 per cent of all unique installs.

China is the second leading country for installs, accumulating 196.6 million to date, or 9.7 per cent of all downloads, for its version of the app, known as Douyin, reported mobile intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

This figure does not include third-party Android store installs.

US rounds up the top three countries for downloads, where it has picked up 165 million installs, or 8.2 per cent of the total downloads.

Google Play has accounted for the vast majority of TikTok downloads to date, racking up more than 1.5 billion installs, or 75.5 per cent of the total.

The Apple App Store, meanwhile, has generated 495.2 million downloads, or 24.5 per cent.

Lifetime user spending in TikTok has risen to $456.7 million, more than 2.5 times the $175 million the app had generated when it reached 1.5 billion downloads.