UpScrolled, a year-old social media application, has surged to the top of app download charts as dissatisfaction grows over TikTok’s recent shift to U.S.-controlled ownership and renewed allegations of content suppression.
The app’s rise follows a deal that placed TikTok’s U.S. operations under a new entity backed by American and foreign investors, triggering concerns among users about censorship, technical disruptions, and political influence.
The momentum has pushed UpScrolled to the number one position among free social networking apps on Apple’s U.S. App Store, while TikTok’s ranking has fallen sharply.
Users across several countries have migrated to the platform in a short period, creating sudden infrastructure strain and intensifying debate over moderation practices on major social media networks.
UpScrolled was founded in July 2025 by Issam Hijazi, a Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian developer with prior experience at Oracle and IBM.
The app supports text posts, photos, and short-form videos, with an interface that blends features commonly associated with X and Instagram.
It emphasizes a chronological feed for followed accounts and a discover section driven primarily by engagement.
According to marketing estimates, UpScrolled has recorded hundreds of thousands of downloads in the United States and nearly a million globally since launch, with the majority of U.S. installs occurring within a single week.
The sudden influx briefly overwhelmed its servers, prompting Hijazi to write, “Crazy load on our servers. So exciting!”
Downloads have also surged in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, and the app has attracted high-profile activists and public figures.
The migration comes amid intensified scrutiny of TikTok after its U.S. ownership restructuring, which includes Oracle, Emirati investment firm MGX, and California-based Silver Lake, while ByteDance retains control of global operations.
Users have accused TikTok of suppressing pro-Palestinian content, criticism of U.S. immigration enforcement, and posts related to domestic political issues.
The permanent ban of Gaza-based journalist Bisan Owda has further fueled boycott calls and online backlash.
TikTok has attributed recent glitches and delayed video distribution to a power outage at a U.S. data center, rejecting claims of politically motivated moderation.
As allegations continue to trend across social platforms, UpScrolled has positioned itself as a transparent alternative, stating it moderates only illegal or guideline-violating content and avoids algorithmic amplification designed to maximize user retention.