[App Fridays] What users Likee about this short video making platform with 350M downloads

Reliance Jio launched cheap mobile data packages back in 2016, thus breaking the inertia in the Indian telecom sector, which opened up a world of opportunities and made way for many OTT and short video content players like TikTok, Vigo, Likee (formerly LIKE), and Roposo, among others. 

Launched in 2017, Likee app by BIGO Technology is a global short video creation platform, and it has emerged as one of the most popular apps in India. A report on the world's app economy in 2019 by Sensor Tower revealed that Likee is one of the top 10 most downloaded apps of 2019. It became the sixth most popular app across the globe having more than 330 million downloads, with India driving more than half of them. The platform experienced a whopping 173 percent year-on-year growth, primarily due to its popularity in India.

Likee, with 4.5 stars and more than 100 million downloads on Google Play Store is also the number one ‘Top Free’ app under Video Players and Editors category.

We at YourStory explore the app and give you the lowdown. 

Try before signing up

The Likee app opens up to video streaming directly, unlike other apps, which, when launched, first take you to the login or sign-up page. This affords you the option of browsing the app before you create an account. But you would need to log in to follow a user, like, or post a video.

The app has regular options like signing up with phone number, social media accounts, and Google account but also has an interesting option of ‘quick sign up’, which basically lets you create an account without linking it with another account or phone number. But again, to use wallets and earn rewards on Likee, you will need to link one account.

Your profile on the app includes metrics like followers, fans, level, and viewers on each of your posts.

Content and content creation

The content viewing experience is great and videos are available on a high resolution. The videos take up the entire screen, with no framing, meaning you can upload your content without compromising on the edges. There are not just music and funny videos on the platform, but also influencer-generated series on food exploration, life hacks, beauty tips, fitness, etc. The app has hyperlocalised the digital space for vernacular users with video creation tools.

The home screen has tabs on the top: Popular, Nearby, News, and Live. On the same homepage, you have the video camera icon in the middle of the screen to start making your own content.

The app uses swipes pretty well. Similar to TikTok, swipe up to switch to different videos on a particular channel, and swipe right to see the user profile of that particular video.

Video editing tools

Now comes the highlight of the app. Besides the regular options to shoot videos and photos with filters, time, and others, the app also lets you decide the ratio of the video. The app has thousands of stickers, and music magic filters add music to your videos. 

Making a video is easy, so a user does not have to be a pro to create content on Likee. The video editor has various modes, like the ‘Supreme’ feature that helps you make an exclusive music video with your photo inserted. There is also a fun feature like Dubsmash where you can lip-sync dialogues, songs, or any audio clip. There are editors such as makeup and micro surgery, similar to Snapchat filters. The app also allows live broadcasting, which is similar to Facebook Live.

The regional twist

Today, the growth of digital content consumption is driven by local content. Various market reports estimate that 65 percent of video consumption in India come from the rural and remote areas in India, and Likee’s has zoomed its focus on the same. 

In India, Likee is available in different Indian languages like Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, and Punjabi.

Recently, Likee has collaborated with Indus App Bazaar, an alternative Android-based app store focused on localisation. Considered India’s third largest indigenous app store, it has more than 60 million active users from the metro as well as smaller cities and villages in India.  

Rewards and money

Similar to TikTok, Likee also runs campaigns on the platform that allow users to earn rewards, which eventually help in earning money via the platform. Some of the popular campaigns on the platform are #IAMINDIAN, #Likeedreams, #KillTheChill, #HudHudDabanggChallenge. Interestingly, Likee won the Guinness World Record for creating the “largest online video album of people waving a flag in India” during its ‘No matter where I am, #IAMINDIAN’ campaign. The campaign saw more than one lakh Indians participating to celebrate India’s 73rd Independence Day.

The verdict

The app is fun to explore, especially while making videos, and we admit that it can be quite addicting. We believe the ease of use does the trick, as with just a few taps you can create videos. The platform's intuitive design and simple-to-use video making and editing tools set Likee apart. The music filters, special effects, hair colour, 4D effect, and ‘superpowers’ are some of our favourite tools on the app.

You can create and save videos and pictures on your phone, or share them on the platform as content creators, just like on Vigo, TikTok, Roposo, and others. The app can also be used to simply edit videos and photos.

Likee's popularity is only set to rise in the coming months as smartphone usage increases in non-metros in India.

(Edited by Evelyn Ratnakumar)

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