The Most Downloaded IOS App: Tik Tok takes over Whatsapp in 1st quarter of 2018

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Trending among China's youth these days is a social media platform for short video clips. Douyin, known as Tik Tok internationally, has overtaken Whatsapp as the most popular application on Apple's App store. CGTN's Sun Ye reports from Beijing.

15-second clips, with popular music, and special effects. The kind of videos that go really viral in China.

"I've installed and deleted it three times. It's just too addictive."

"During my commute, when I'm off work. I scroll through videos two hours a day."

Break dancer Liu Yuanchen knows it all. He's seen his followers on the app grew from a few hundred to a few hundred thousand, all in the span of a year.

His formula is simple: Funny facial expressions plus wacky dance moves. And videos based off established memes.

LIU YUANCHEN DANCER "The things they can shoot and replicate on their own. And play with friends. These become really big."

Not just in China. Tik Tok is the most downloaded IOS app in the first quarter of 2018, with 45 million downloads worldwide.

The company says its popularity builds on what the younger generation of users are like.

ZHI YING SENIOR DIRECTOR, TIK TOK "We've found similarities across the markets. Young people like foodie videos, humorous interactions, and they're very innovative. And short-video is the new way of expression and communication now, just as important as texts and photos."

And competition can get just as fierce. China's tech giant Alibaba said its own video sharing social platform will launch in June. Tencent is reported to be injecting billions of yuan into its own short-video application. And that's on top of a handful of other applications, looking to secure more than just 15 seconds of fame. Sun Ye, CGTN, BEIJING.