Update 27/01/26 – 11:31 am (IST): New data confirms that the user backlash isn’t just online chatter. According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower (via CNBC), the daily average of US users uninstalling the app has spiked nearly 150% over the past five days compared to the previous three months.
While TikTok’s active user count remains relatively stable for now, the surge in deletions is directly fueling the competition. The same data reveals that US downloads for UpScrolled increased more than tenfold week-over-week, while other alternatives like Skylight Social and Rednote saw jumps of 919% and 53%, respectively.
Original article published on January 26, 2026, follows:
Some TikTok users are jumping ship right now, heading straight to a newer app called UpScrolled. The switch picked up speed just days after TikTok wrapped up its big ownership shift in the US, leaving many people uneasy about what comes next for their data.
The deal closed on January 22, 2026, putting US operations under a new company called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. American investors, including Oracle and others, now control the majority, while ByteDance holds onto a smaller 19.9% stake.
That change brought a fresh privacy policy update the same week. TikTok started asking users to agree to new terms, and plenty pushed back hard. Some worried about expanded location tracking or data sharing with global operations.
We covered the backlash in detail last week when the updated terms rolled out. A separate freak-out happened over mentions of immigration status or sexual orientation data, but those sections actually date back to 2024 changes.
On top of privacy headaches, the app seems to be broken for several hours. Creators are complaining about For You Pages stuffed with random, irrelevant videos – often repeats or foreign content they never followed. Others say new uploads get stuck in review or sit forever at zero views.
Frustrated users started hunting for alternatives, and UpScrolled quickly became the hot pick. Built by Palestinian-Australian developer Issam Hijazi, the app promises no shadowbans, no heavy algorithm tricks, and a straightforward video feed that feels a lot like TikTok’s old magic.
It first grabbed attention last year for its free-speech focus, and now downloads seem to be picking up steam again.
Chatter on X and Reddit is full of people calling TikTok “toast” now that Oracle has a big role in the new setup, convinced the algorithm will turn to garbage under American control.
Personally, it feels like the same kind of doomsday talk that flooded feeds when Elon Musk bought Twitter – headlines and hot takes everywhere claiming the platform would be dead in weeks. Yet here we are, years later, still scrolling X.
Posts on X urge friends to delete TikTok and join UpScrolled right away, calling it a clean break from censorship worries.
Over on Reddit, threads in r/TikTok and r/nothinghappeninghere fill up with download tips, handle grabs, and excitement mixed with patience. There’s also talk about early feeds leaning heavily on certain topics, but users expect balance as more people arrive. A few mention trying Rednote or Skylight instead, yet most agree UpScrolled nails the short-video vibe best.
Apparently, the rush hit hard enough that sign-ups slowed down from traffic overload, though the team says fixes are coming.
Whether this wave of backlash against TikTok results in UpScrolled bagging millions of users remains to be seen, but it’s clear that people are eyeing alternatives.
Dwayne Cubbins
2574 Posts
I cover fast-moving stories across apps, online platforms, and everyday tech — phones, wearables, consoles, and whatever else people are fighting with this week. Bugs, rollouts, scams, policy enforcement, and the occasional internet-culture rabbit hole are all fair game. My goal is simple — make confusing tech news readable. When I'm not working, I'm working out or chilling with my dog. Got a tip? You can find me on X @dcubbins.
Next article View Article
