One ZAO subscriber by the name of Gu Shi installed the app after seeing her friends employ it to create video clips on social media site WeChat. Gu said, “I’ve never tried using Japanese makeup and hairstyles because it’s too complicated to do all by myself. This app gave me a chance to try a totally different style from my normal life.” And like FaceApp, ZAO went viral. However, its privacy policy says that users who use the app surrender all intellectual property rights to their face, allowing ZAO to use the images for marketing purposes. The developer said that it will respond to the concerns that its subscribers have. “We thoroughly understand the anxiety people have toward privacy concerns. We have received the questions you have sent us. We will correct the areas we have not considered and require some time.”

After 4,000 reviews were posted about the app on the Chinese version of the App Store, ZAO had a rather poor rating of 1.9 stars out of five. It is free to download on your iPhone or iPad. The company behind ZAO is called Momo, creators of a dating app that later become a live streaming service. The firm was subsequently listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Since it doesn’t have a product that is imported into the U.S., the company was unaffected by the 25% tariffs that took effect on September 1st. Another 25% in tariffs will be imposed on devices like the iPhone starting on December 15th.