Photo Credit: Zynn
TikTok clone Zynn is back on the App Store after being banned – now with no more cash incentives.
Paying its users cash to upload videos rocketed Zynn to the top of the App Store charts. It also resulted in widespread fraud, where some TikTok creators saw their profiles stolen wholesale. Now Zynn will offer a rewards system called Zynncheers – which aren’t worth anything.
Zynncheers give users points for watching videos. Right now, there are no rewards that can be exchanged, making it effectively useless. The app says users can get “benefits and rewards” with Zynncheers, but makes no mention what those rewards may be.
“We have some plans about the use of Zynncheers, but we need your ideas more,” Zynn writes.
Zynn still seems to hope that the illusion of a reward will help its service grow. Previously, the service offered cash and gift cards to users who uploaded videos and referred their friends. Zynn’s creator, Kuaishou, used the pay-to-watch model to become a legitimate rival in China.
It’s undeniable that the move initially worked. By the end of May, Zynn surpassed TikTok on the App Store.
It also entered the top ten charts on the Google Play Store. Google took the first step to remove the app after plagiarism allegations surfaced. Apple followed suit and removed Zynn from the App Store earlier this week.
Only people who installed the app before the removal can earn the new worthless Zynncheers rewards. Removing its pay-to-watch scheme likely means both Google and Apple took issue with it. In the end, Zynn is such a blatant clone of TikTok that there’s no reason to use one over the other.
For now, users who downloaded the app to “earn money” are angry the feature has been removed. “This app is complete shit now,” one reviewer writes. “This update sucks ass, and there’s no reason to use the app now.”