The government of India on Monday decided to ban 59 Chinese apps over national security concerns. Some immensely popular apps like TikTok, UC Browser, CamScanner, and others were banned in the country. This development comes in the wake of India-China clash in the Galwan Valley.
The government said the action against Chinese apps was taken because of the information available that "they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order."
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These banned Chinese apps are mostly utility apps for smartphones. From scanning documents to taking selfies to share files with other devices, these apps were used for a range of activities. Here are some alternatives for some of these apps:
CamScanner: This app was used for scanning documents and creating digital copies of their physical forms. Its alternatives are PhotoScan, Microsoft Office Lens and Adobe Scan.
ShareIT, Xender: These mobile applications are mostly used for sharing large files among different smartphones and PCs. Apps like Google Drive, Dropbox, Superbeam or SendGB can be used as an alternative for them.
UC Browser, Apus Browser: These apps are internet browsers and their alternatives are Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari (for iPhone users).
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Mi Video Call: This was one of the Chinese variants of the video calling app. Google Duo, Zoom, Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp Video Call could be used as an alternative.
Baidu Maps: This was a digital map application with satellite imagery and street maps. Google Maps has many more features than Baidu Maps and is much more accurate and reliable too.
UC News: This app provides news articles in short format for a quick read. Its alternatives are Google News, Inshorts, and Apple News (for iPhone users).
Virus Cleaner: This is an anti-virus app for smartphones which also helps to clear unwanted cookies and cache from smartphones. Applications like Avast Antivirus, CCleaner, Files by Google, and Norton Clean could be used as alternatives.
Shein and Club Factory: These e-commerce apps are famous for finding attractive deals on apparel and clothing accessories. Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra, and other similar apps can be used as alternatives.
You Cam Makeup, Beauty Plus, Selfie City: These apps were especially used for taking selfies and photos with different filters and face effects. Snapchat, Open Camera, G Cam and B612 can easily replace these Chinese apps.
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