On the evening of February 13, Gel App issued a statement saying that it had recently encountered a series of organized attacks and that legal action had been taken. At the same time, Gel chose to actively remove from the app store and suspend new user entry. On the morning of February 14, users found that the Gel App could no longer be searched in the Apple App Store.
Once topped the AppStore, why can the Gel APP burst into flames?
"Good friend, add gel". According to the application introduction, it is a "close friend social APP that lives with good friends in a new space through the tide play image". In this app, you only need to share your ID with your friends to become each other's neighbors, share and interact daily. It is worth noting that although Gel is only allowed to add 50 friends, it cannot resist the love of many young people.
Image source: Gel App
The gel was officially launched on January 19, and as of February 11, it surpassed WeChat to become the first social software list in AppStore in only half a month, and also became the first social application to surpass WeChat since 2019. With the gradual maturity of 5G, AI and other technologies, the gel with the prototype of the meta-universe also makes people see the potential behind the social field.
Users can create a personal avatar according to their preferences.
Similar to many social software, it spreads "fission" by generating personal posters to share in the circle of friends. As a social product APP, Gel's interactive interface also has many new ways to play. In addition to pinching the face and changing clothes, the gel can also publish a plog, for the focus on the characteristics of "living in the moment", users through timely upload and share pictures, seize the current young users love to share the daily attributes, fully create a space for personal expression.
In the Gel app, users can even see the phone's battery when their friends are online. /Image source: Aoyi News
Ms. Liang, a reporter from Aoyi News consulted the user of the Gel APP, and learned that she felt that it was very novel to prompt users to choose music when publishing content in the APP, and to update specific music every day. And in a separate chat box, poking the other party "what is doing" after you can reply by taking a photo, as well as opening the real-time map function, inviting friends to share the location and other features, are all features that attract her to download.
Screenshot of the chat provided by the gel user Ms. Liang
Can apps that are regarded as "meta-universe social" rookies set off a new wave of social trends?
On January 19, the Gel App was launched and has completed five version updates in less than a month. On February 11, the Gel App topped the AppStore. On February 13, the software has been dominating the list for three days, and on the evening of February 13, it was removed from the app store and suspended the entry of new users. On the morning of February 14, the reporter learned that it was impossible to search for the Gel APP in the Apple App Store.
It has surpassed the WeChat ranking to take the initiative to remove the shelves, and has experienced such a big ups and downs in just a few days, making the social products that focus on virtual images such as Gel cause heated discussions in the industry. Previously, some netizens said that "the Gel App has infringed on the user's WeChat, QQ number and other privacy information", on the evening of February 11, the Gel App development platform Beijing Yishu Entertainment Technology Co., Ltd. responded that the news was untrue, "It is a competitor's organized and planned defamation of the 'Gel' App, and the company has collected relevant evidence and called the police." ”
Image source Gel App Weibo
"I haven't been exposed to dressup apps like Gel before, so my painting style and design are more popular with college students." It's a dress-up game for me, and the marketing is very exaggerated, and now I think it's boring. Ms. Lin, a user of the Gel App, told reporters. Asked about the characteristics of interaction and sharing, Ms. Lin added: "Why do you need to go to this app on a daily basis? I can also say it directly on WeChat. ”
Compared with WeChat, it is clear that gel's social attributes are still smaller than WeChat's, and there is a serious shortage of user retention rates. Ms. Liang told reporters: "I only opened it once in two or three days, so I think its gameplay is still very single, in the social software track, it is difficult to attract users to retain without obvious differentiation." ”
When technology can't sustain a steady stream of users, problems arise one by one. Many users said that the gel has problems such as flashback, stuttering, dragging is not smooth, and the group chat function is not perfect. In this regard, The Gel explained in the announcement on February 13: "In order to let everyone have a smoother sense of use, we reluctantly chose to actively remove from the app store during the large-scale upgrade of the system, suspend the entry of new users, and focus on improving the existing user experience." ”
The reporter learned from Tianyancha that the copyright of the "Gel App" iOS and Android version of the software was registered and approved in June 2021, and the copyright holder is Beijing Yishu Entertainment Technology Co., Ltd. It is worth mentioning that Beijing Yishu Entertainment Technology Co., Ltd. has applied for the registration of a number of "gel" trademarks, and the current trademark status is mostly awaiting substantive examination.
Image source Sky Eye Check
With the trend of social privatization, where is the next social product?
When WeChat is no longer private, apps such as Gel meet the pain points of users who need personal space expression to a certain extent. However, the gel still lacks the ability to establish relationships through sticky user interaction, and users are currently focused on their own expression level.
Obviously, as a social product, the core lies in the precipitation of social relationships, and gel still needs to optimize communication methods and improve user experience. But for its innovative attempts, people see more possibilities for social products.
Text: Aoyi News Reporter Jiang Dan