

How We Discovered the Underground Chinese App Market - msacca
https://medium.com/startup-lessons/374a4f06c903

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arb99
>Then we came across KuaiYong (aka 7659.com), an app market that allows users
to install iOS apps without even jailbreaking their phone.

How is that possible? Do the chinese markets use different iphone exploits
than western ones when it comes to iphones?

On 7659.com, after google translate it says:

>Prompted to enter your Apple ID case solutions Installed applications prompt
"Enter the Apple ID bomb box" or "flash back", you can use the top right
corner of the "flash back (bullet box) Repair" resolved. If the repair is not
successful, please update to the latest version of this application. Since
this month Apple service adjustments, it is recommended not to use the recent
Apple ID or appstore, to reduce repair frequency. On the phone or iPad
directly fix "bomb box", "flash back" of the upcoming release of new features,
so stay tuned.

Found some info about it:

[http://9to5mac.com/2013/04/19/chinese-pirates-create-web-
bas...](http://9to5mac.com/2013/04/19/chinese-pirates-create-web-based-pirate-
app-store/#more-268855)

> KuaiYong used a bulk enterprise licence to get around the safeguards
> designed to protect apps from being pirated. The new website, 7659.com, is
> essentially just a front end to the app: downloading any iOS software from
> the site will download and install the KuaiYong app if it isn’t already
> installed.

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saurik
Look, I realize it's fun to make enemies and drop big names, but this app was
not "listed in Cydia" any more than an app might be "listed in Firefox": the
closest something can get to being "listed in Cydia" is to come in a default
repository, and those are all (as is Cydia itself) anti-piracy.

~~~
saurik
(The author of this article saw my comment on reddit and modified his
article.)

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kayhongxin
There are a lot of successful software companies in China. Think about Alibaba
IPO. Tencent also has a lot of successful Apps. I just don't like the way you
show your opinion. It sounds like "we made money in USA; we made nothing in
China. China is wrong! Chinese market is weird, their civilization is bad."
Maybe it's you don't understand China and Chinese enough, haven't done enough
research, haven't talked or made friends with any Chinese-your future
customers.

Maybe I misunderstood your point, but when I read articles like this in which
China sounds like a big ridicule, (actually it is a market you haven't win and
don't know how to win),I feel angry and sad. You are criticizing your
customers, how can you win? (I am a Chinese living in the US working at
software industry.)

Go to China. Make friends. Sit with them and observe how they use their
iPhones.

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Jenniphur
Another great example of how to hone your app's strategy by adapting to the
cultural expectation (even when the obstacles are illegal and unfortunate).
Thanks for sharing!

~~~
msacca
Thanks Jenn! Really glad you enjoyed it.

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joelle
Love the connection between Robert Fortune and the tea heist as a lasting
wound and a reason for China's underground app market. Such an
interesting/frustrating read!

~~~
msacca
It was amazing the similarities once I started researching the background of
Intellectual Property rights in China

------
kayhongxin
[http://buswk.co/1izo5t9](http://buswk.co/1izo5t9)

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elchapolito
would love to see a follow up with details about revenue from ads and if it
was able to offset any of your lost revenue from sales.

