The Government of India (GOI) this year banned several Chinese apps, citing security concerns. The banned apps included multiplayer mobile game PUBG, short video app TikTok, messaging app We Chat, Ludo All Star and AliExpress. The ban coincided with the India-China border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Owing to the nationalist fervour, many in the country welcomed the ban but soon users started looking for alternatives. After all, apps such as PUBG were a big part of our lives. Was there anything to fill that vacuum?

The short answer is Yes! The simple rule of economics says that if there is enough demand, the market will create supply to try and fulfill that demand. When all the Chinese apps were banned, the market did supply us with alternatives.

Here is a list of apps that replaced those popular apps:

PUBG/ FAUG- The famous first-person shooting game was a huge craze among many in India, who spent several hours on the game. Naturally, banning the app was never going to diminish the demand. So a replacement came forth–FAU-G. Similar in the gameplay but with a patriotic twist,the game is still in a pre-registration phase. Soon we will have our own version of PUBG.

Tik Tok/Reels- One of the biggest advantages of TikTok was that it gave everyone a platform to showcase their talents, no matter who they were. Anybody could be an actor, dancer or a stand-up comic. They could use the platform to polish their talent and be whatever they wanted to be.

Many were left in the lurch when the platform was banned.

But, Instagram came to the rescue with Reels. 

Reels added a new layer to the photo-sharing platform with the ability to make and share short videos, thus providing a platform for the TikTok deprived market. 

CamScanner/KagazScanner– CamScanner was an app that enabled a user to scan any physical document and create a digital copy for the users, by just using the camera on their smartphone. It was used by people from all walks of life, be it students or professionals. After it was banned, a new app stepped in to replace it- KagazScanner. The app does exactly what CamScanner did, making the public never miss the banned app.

Shareit/ShareKaro– Shareit was an app to send and receive large files between users. It was also banned due to fears over user privacy.

Its replacement, ShareKaro, an Indian take on Shareit has stepped in to replace the banned app.