Been on the App Store over the past few days? You might have noticed a curious new free iPhone app in the number one spot called Zynn. As it turns out it’s a TikTok clone that’s going after users of the popular app in the US. So how did it just beat out the massively popular TikTok in the App Store charts? A pyramid scheme that pays people to use it and refer friends…
Reported by Mashable, Zynn doesn’t seem like just a short-term scam dressed up as a TikTok clone but rather a very well-funded TikTok copycat actually looking to steal its market share. As it happens, Zynn developer Owlii/Qianyun Zhao was acquired by a multi-billion dollar Chinese company called Kuaishou.
So it seems Zynn is no small effort. Notably, TikTok recently crossed 2 billion downloads globally, so what has Zynn done to create such massive traction to reach the number one spot in Apple’s US App Store? Created a pyramid scheme that pays its users to download, use, and refer the app.
Here’s how it looks:
There is also an aggressive rewards and invite feature. Earn small amounts of cash watching videos. Earn a lot more for inviting friends to do the same. pic.twitter.com/9TcsY7sFi1
— Turner Novak (@TurnerNovak) May 27, 2020
The caveat is it appears cashing out rewards doesn’t really work…
Now that Zynn is gaining attention, time will tell if Apple will allow it to remain on the App Store with its pyramid scheme design.
