People are uninstalling TikTok and downloading an indie competitor

The new American entity of TikTok is having a very difficult start. As the app continues to face technical issues affecting the recommendation algorithm, view counts and other features, TikTok is also seeing a wave of frustrated users uninstalling it, according to new data.

Analytics firm Sensor Tower, which tracks downloads and other App Store-related metrics, told CNBC that there has been a 150% increase in uninstalls of the TikTok app in the United States compared to the last three months. A Sensor Tower analyst told Engadget that TikTok’s U.S. daily active users (DAU) grew by about 2% during the same period and are flat week-over-week. TikTok blamed the problems on a power outage at a data center, but did not say when users can expect a fix or explain how a power outage could be responsible for destroying users’ video views or drastically changing their recommendation algorithm.

At the same time, an independent app called UpScrolled has seen renewed interest in recent days. The app is currently the ninth most downloaded app on the US App Store and the second most popular social app (Meta’s Threads currently holds the top spot for social apps). The app also reached the top five in the UK and Australian app stores. In the United States, its sudden popularity appears to be closely linked to recent changes at TikTok.

UpScrolled saw 41,000 total downloads between Thursday (the day the US joint venture was made official) and Saturday, according to estimates from App Figures. The app, first launched last June, has been downloaded about 140,000 times between the Apple and Google app stores, according to App Figures. Before last Thursday, the app was downloaded on average less than 500 times per day, according to the company. The rapid increase in downloads has apparently caused some problems for the company, which on Monday asked users to “be patient.”

Created by an Australian developer, UpScrolled is a bit like Instagram. Users can share photos and short videos. The app defaults to a chronological “next” feed, although it also recommends content to users. The app is “privately funded by its founder, Issam Hijazi, along with a small group of individual investors who share our mission and values,” according to an FAQ on the UpScrolled website. There are currently no ads, although the company says it “probably” will in the future.

This is not the first time that the troubles on TikTok have benefited a hitherto little-known application. Chinese app RedNote briefly became the top app in the United States early last year, as TikTok faced a potential ban. RedNote’s popularity proved short-lived, however, as the 2025 TikTok “ban” ultimately only lasted a few hours.

But with TikTok’s new owners and growing frustration over technical issues with the app, there could be an opportunity for a new short-form video service that isn’t controlled by a big company. And that’s what UpScrolled seems to be betting on. “Too often, users are unsure whether their voice will be heard or quietly muffled,” the company writes on its website. “UpScrolled changes that by ensuring that every post has a fair chance of being seen, creating an authentic, unfiltered and fair environment for everyone.”