Mitron App Hits 1 Crore Downloads on Google Play in Just Over Two Months of Launch

Mitron app, which was launched as an “Indian alternative” to TikTok, has crossed one crore downloads on Google Play store. The app achieved this milestone in just over two months of its launch, and the short video platform has gained popularity at a time when anti-China sentiment is at a high point in the country. Mitron currently has favourable reviews with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5. The app's source code was previously alleged to have been purchased from a Pakistani developer; however, its co-founders Shivank Agarwal and Anish Khandelwal, have tried to downplay the origins of app's source code.

In a press note announcing the 1 crore downloads milestone, Mitron CEO Shivank Agarwal highlighted the app's local origins.

"There is a strong sentiment of #VocalForLocal. We are proudly building Mitron to reimagine digital engagement and entertainment, while being sensitive to the users in our market and being compliant with our local laws,” Agarwal said in a statement. “We are working with our users to create a more India-centric product and we believe that is working well for us.”

Even though Mitron has been raking in downloads since its launch, the last two months haven't exactly been a cakewalk for the app. At the time of its launch, many users had claimed that the short video platform included "a lots of bugs" and was just another TikTok clone available in Google Play. Despite the negative reviews, the app managed to clock 50 lakh downloads in just over a month of launch. The app was then removed from Google Play store for violating Google's spam and minimum functionality policy but later returned to the platform. A cyber security researcher around the same time had claimed that Mitron app included a vulnerability that could allow attackers to send messages to other users, and even follow other people or comment on behalf of a victim.

Speaking about the app, Mitron co-founders had told Gadgets 360 that it did not imitate TikTok. They indicated that all apps had "some common elements" and Mitron had released several versions since its launch. When asked about the origin of the app, Khandelwal added that the app's team was based out of Bangalore and initial template of MitronTV was purchased from an Australian marketplace, EnvatoMarket. The developers didn't reveal the seller's name from which they had purchased the source code. Previous reports claimed the seller to be of Pakistani-origin.

Mitron has caught the fancy of many, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his vision for "Vocal For Local." It is also getting attention because of the anti-China sentiment prevalent in the country right now.

As per the data available on App Brain, an online resource for app developers, the first version of Mitron went live on Google Play on April 17 and it clocked the first 100,000 downloads in just seven days.

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