In WeChat-dominated China, new messenger app scores sudden success

Chinese instant messaging app Bullet Messenger is seen next to Tencent's Wechat app on a mobile phone in this illustration picture taken September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration

HONG KONG: Bullet Messenger, a Chinese messaging app, has racked up millions of downloads since its debut just a few weeks ago, using a stripped-down design to chip off a chunk of a sophisticated, billion-user market.

The Beijing-based company launched its app on Aug 20, and within a week became the most downloaded free offering on Apple Inc's App Store in China.