Rivals are beginning to cash in on TikTok’s uncertain future in the United States. Another video app called Triller has soared to the top of the app store charts in dozens of countries — following a chaotic weekend which was capped off by Microsoft confirming it’s pursuing a TikTok acquisition.
In addition to securing the pole position on the iOS app store and Android’s Google Play Store, Triller said downloads for its video app have grown by 20 times in the last week alone, totaling to about 250 million across the world. It now sits above popular services such as Snapchat and TikTok itself in a number of countries such as the United States, India, France, and more.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled for this recognition and are excited to be embraced with such diversity. It aligns with our guiding principle: Triller — where you do you,” Triller’s CEO, Mike Lu said in a statement.
Triller, which had 50 million monthly active users as of July 2, has been around for years, but as TikTok’s future hangs in the balance, the video app has hosted an astronomical growth worldwide. The U.S.-based company has also actively released new features and secured content exclusive deals with celebrities such as the forthcoming Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. boxing match.
On Saturday, August 1, it rolled out a range of new camera editing tools likely to serve the surge of TikTok users scouting for alternatives. On top of that, Triller has a baked-in monetization system already and recently acquired an app called Halogen to offer live streaming. In addition, the app hosts several high-profile celebrities including Chance the Rapper, Alicia Keys, Cardi B, and more.
What’s more, last week, Triller sued TikTok and its parent company, Bytedance, for patent infringement. The filing alleged that TikTok’s feature where it allows users to stitch together multiple videos while using the same audio track infringes on a patent that was granted to Triller co-founders David Leiberman and Samuel Rubin three years ago.
Triller isn’t the only alone capitalizing on the opportunity. Byte, another U.S.-based video app built by Vine’s co-founder has seen a wave of new users in the last couple of days too, and is now closely contesting with Triller for the No. 1 spot on the iOS and Android app stores.
At the moment, TikTok appears to have escaped a complete ban from the United States, and its U.S. business is expected to be acquired by Microsoft in the next few weeks.
You just opened X and started typing your thoughts. Imagine the jump scare when a hand suddenly pops up on your screen, pointing at the promote button. It doesn’t say a word and simply points. For a growing number of X users, this isn’t a made-up scenario but something they have been seeing since yesterday, and very few of them are amused.
Most of us have learned to tune out the usual in-app upsells, whether it’s a glowing upgrade banner or a pop-up about a premium plan. A floating hand hovering over your draft is much harder to ignore, and that’s probably the whole point.
Scroll through any app for five minutes, and you’ll find someone maxxing something. Their skin, their sleep, their protein intake, even their Friday night on the couch. That little suffix has been everywhere this year, and now it has a trophy to show for it. In a recent announcement, Dictionary.com named maxxing its 2026 Word of the Year.
What are people actually doing when they’re maxxing?
Instagram is testing a new format for long-form videos called Features. It allows select creators to upload horizontal videos running up to 90 minutes long. Instagram has already tested the new format with creators in Brazil, and now, it's expanding to tens of thousands of creators across the US.
How will Instagram's new Features format work?