‘Poor’ Indians bring Snapchat to its knees, rating down to 1 star on the App Store

Almost 24 hours after news broke out that Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel did not want to expand in poor countries such as India and Spain, its rating on the App Store dropped to a "single star” from “five stars", reported IANS. Users in India have been so miffed with this statement that #UninstalSnapchat and #BoycottSnapchat started trending on Twitter.

As on April 16, the "Customer Ratings" of the current version of the app on the App Store was "single star" (based on 6,099 ratings) and all versions rating was "one and half star" (based on 9,527 ratings).

According to a report published in Variety, the CEO, while discussing expansion plans in a meeting allegedly dismissed an employee’s concern of the slow growth rate of the app in India, stating that the app was only meant for “rich people”. According to ex-employee Anthony Pompliano, Spiegel stated during the meeting, “This app is only for rich people. I don’t want to expand into poor countries like India and Spain.”

An estimated active user base of 150 million, it is one of the fastest growing social media platforms. An average snap chatter spends around 25-30 minutes on this app every day. Its inception created a buzz among the users of bracket 18 to 34 years which is no longer the case, as the app has transcended the age barrier over time.

Dear "Rich" @Snapchat, Good Bye from my "Poor" mobile. I love my country more than this app. #boycottsnapchat pic.twitter.com/uaROoXPSCP

— Amanpreet Singh (@AmmyPreet_) April 16, 2017

NASA releases pic of Indians using Snapchat for the last time last night before they uninstall it. See this Mr CEO!!#boycottsnapchat pic.twitter.com/UqXSA2hmbj

— Atul Khatri (@one_by_two) April 16, 2017

Sorry I'm very poor citizen of a poor country. Can't afford @evanspiegel ur ridiculous App. #boycottsnapchat #snapchat @Snapchat pic.twitter.com/O5MJ3Liym5

— Sansa (@SANSA_STARK_) April 15, 2017