Not just TikTok, these apps were also down rated to 1-star

Controversies have continued to chase TikTok. The short-video sharing platform is facing wrath of angry Indians who are unhappy with the removal of a roast video from CarryMinati aka  Ajey Nagar on YouTube. Since the controversy, TikTok is grappling with campaigns seeking a ban on the app. Many users have also pointed out objectionable content on the app. 

For now, TikTok is seeing a burst of 1-star rating for its app on Google Play Store along with poor user reviews. At one point its rating dipped to 1.2, making it a rare app with “Editors’ Choice” recommendation with such bad reviews. You’ll be surprised to know that this isn’t the first time an application has faced anger from users which has culminated into bad ratings. Let’s take a look.

MS Excel vs Surf Excel in 2019

Back in March 2019, Microsoft’s Excel application faced a similar negative campaign when people began mistakenly deleting the app and downvoting over a controversial advertisement by Surf Excel. 

Boycott Amazon in 2018

Amazon India faced a big backlash on Twitter in 2018 after its association with actor Swara Bhaskar who had posted a tweet in support for Kathua and Unnao rape victims. Some users, however, had taken an objection to the choice of words in the tweet. Bhaskar had then tweeted a promotional message for Amazon India which led to many uninstalling the application from their phone and even giving one-star rating.

Snapchat in 2017

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel made a controversial remark that that India was a “poor country”. Shortly after, #BoycottSnapchat became a trend on Twitter. Users also started deleting the app, downvoting and giving poor reviews. Interestingly enough, some users mistakenly deleted and downvoted the Snapdeal app from their phones.

Amazon in 2017

Late Sushma Swaraj, then External Affairs minister, had threatened to rescinding visas of Amazon employees after many users pointed out listing of doormats resembling Indian flag on the e-commerce platform. Amazon later apologized and quickly took down such products.

Flipkart and Airtel Zero in 2015

Airtel had launched a Zero programme which came under criticism for violating net neutrality principles. Flipkart was one of its first partners. With more users joining the pro-net neutrality campaign, Flipkart faced one-rating and negative reviews on the app store. Later, the programme was shelved and Flipkart also distanced itself from the initiative. 

Snapdeal and Amir Khan in 2015

Actor Amir Khan in 2015 had offended many when he shared his views on intolerance in the country. Khan was then ambassador of Snapdeal. Many users took to Twitter to reveal they were downvoting Snapdeal and giving poor reviews on the app store. Some also shared screenshots of uninstalling the application.