Koo App: Know about what is it, a microblogging app just like Twitter
Koo is a micro-blogging platform that was launched 10 months ago, however, it is now being considered as an Indian alternative to Twitter.
The Koo app is suddenly getting popular among social media users and has become the talk of the town. This has even led to the ‘#Kooapp’ trending on Twitter with hundreds and thousands of tweets on the same.
The application has already gained more than one million downloads on the Google Play Store.
Several ministries and departments have created accounts on Koo. These include the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC), National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), India Post, MyGovIndia, and Digital India among others.
https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal/status/1359058583934013442
https://twitter.com/ChouhanShivraj/status/1359108677156831233
#DigitalIndia has brought about a gamut of changes for the country.
For developers, these are exciting times, as India launches the #KooApp – Social Category Winner, #AatmaNirbharBharat App Innovation Challenge – the country's offering to the world of social-media connectedness. https://t.co/xTJi9PzJto— Rajiv Kumar (@RajivKumar1) February 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/NITIAayog/status/1359094490825302021
Before we take a deep dive into the application and how it works, you should note that the sudden shift to the app is due to the ongoing battle between Twitter and the Indian Government.
To give you a gist, Twitter is currently under the Indian government’s radar ever since the micro-blogging platform refused to comply with the government’s order to take down hashtags, tweets, and accounts that allegedly promoted farmer genocide. Several media reports suggest that if the situation continues to be the same, the day won’t be far when Twitter, which currently has millions of active users in India, will get suspended in the country.
What is the Koo app?
Just like Twitter, this new app is used to express views and opinions on various topics. Users can follow each other, conduct polls, and share photos, audio, video on Koo. In August 2020, the Koo app won the Aatmanirbhar App Challenge organized by the Indian government. Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka developed the app in March 2020.
That’s not all, the Koo app also supports multiple Indian regional languages – Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Oriya, and Assamese.
How to download the Koo app?
Koo is available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Users can download the Koo app on their iPhone and Android devices.
How to get started with the Koo app?
Once you have downloaded the app on your smartphone, getting started is easy. Here are the simple steps you need to follow:
Step 1: Open the Koo app and select your preferred language
Step 2: Enter your mobile number
Step 3: Verify it via OTP
Step 4: Now, you can add a profile picture or skip the process for later. With this, you are officially a part of the Koo app.
Koo has been declared an AatmaNirbhar App and won the AatmaNirbhar App Innovation Challenge held by the Government of India in August 2020. PM Narendra Modi encourages Indians to use the Koo App in his Mann Ki Baat speech too.
