Koo Takes Over Brazil, Gets Over 1 Million Downloads In 2 Days

Amidst the Twitter turmoil and an unprecedented exodus of users, Twitter alternatives such as Mastodon and Hive are making the most of the opportunity. Joining the list, the Indian-made microblogging platform Koo has gained a fair share of users, especially from Brazil.

Within two days of launch, Koo had taken Brazil by storm and crossed 1 million app downloads. Consequently, it also became the number 1 app, on both Play Store and App Store, in the South American country.

This overwhelming response in Brazil was accompanied by an influx of local celebs as well. From YouTuber Felipe Neto to media firm Choquei, various popular figures have joined Koo. Neto has even claimed the title of the most-followed Koo account, with 500K followers.

Koo co-founder reacts to response in Brazil

Apparently, the timing of the roll-out and launch support for Portuguese has played in favor of the Indian-made social media app. Reflecting on the successful release, co-founder Mayank Bidawatka said: “… Koo has become a cult brand in Brazil that enjoys an unbelievable fan following. We are proud to have started the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ in the tech product world. We have made Brazil fall in love with India …”

According to Bidawatka, Koo will continue reaching more countries with subsequent roll-outs. “With every new language and country launched, we will be getting closer to our mission of uniting a world that is divided by language barriers.”

A new development revealed that the app’s instant success might also have to do with a funny coincidence. To be more precise, it turns out the word “koo” is homophonous to “ass” in Portuguese. In fact, the newest Koo star Neto jokingly posted, “É um orgulho imenso ter o maior koo do Brasil!” which roughly translates to “It is an immense pride to have the biggest ass in Brazil.”

Since launching in 2020 as a Kannada-only app, Koo has come a long way, adding support for many Indian regional languages and becoming the world’s second-largest microblogging platform. After Portuguese, the platform is likely to incorporate more languages in a bid to reach a larger audience. With such expansion, the app would surely attract many more users around the world.

Note: This article was updated to add an additional amusing take on Brazil’s interest in Koo at 2:40 PM IST.