TikTok clone Zynn has been kicked out of Apple’s App Store

Zynn’s luck atop the app charts seems to have run out (for now).

Just a week after Google removed the Chinese short-form video sharing app from its Play Store following accusations of plagiarism from TikTok content creators, Zynn no longer seems to be available on Apple’s App Store.

Mashable has reached out to Apple for further information, however a quick look in the App Store confirms the app is no longer available at this time.

Zynn, an undeniable clone of the wildly popular Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok, launched in May 2020, and shot to the top of the App Store charts. Both apps are owned by rival Chinese tech giants — TikTok by Bytedance, Zynn by Kuaishou — but while TikTok was dominating the market with over 2 billion global downloads announced in April, Zynn saw serious traction in the U.S., becoming the most downloaded iOS app at the end of May (video chat Zoom was number one at the start of the month, hello government-mandated lockdowns).

In fact, according to Sensor Tower, Zynn has seen 2 million downloads of its free app via the App Store, a significant portion of its 3 million total. 

While Zynn was already gaining attention for paying users to use the app and invite friends, the issue of plagiarism on the platform has come front and centre. A report by Wired, which spoke to four influencers, revealed content they’d published on TikTok and other platforms including Instagram and YouTube had been uploaded to Zynn under new accounts without their permission. Zynn’s state users cannot post anything they don’t own unless they have permission from the owner.

A spokesperson for Zynn admitted to the Financial Times that plagiarism was a reason for its removal from Google’s Play Store, though Google did not comment on it. And before the app was removed from the App Store, a Zynn spokesperson told The Verge it is “in communication with both Google and Apple to ensure compliance with their guidelines and regulations.”

Apple is yet to comment on Zynn’s removal from the App Store.