understand everything about the application with a surprise success, which worries even the Ministry of the Interior

Almost no one had heard of Ten Ten until a month ago. But since the end of May, the French application has experienced sudden success – and widespread media coverage. This type of walkie-talkie on a smartphone has gained several million users in a few days, including many teenagers. A lightning success which surprised as much as worried, even within the government: Wednesday June 5, the founders of the application were received at the office of the State Secretariat for Digital, to present their approach and respond to questions. concerns.

What is the Ten Ten application for?

Ten Ten allows you to send live voice messages to your contacts. All you have to do is tap on a contact’s profile photo, hold your finger down, and speak: the interlocutor hears the voice in real time and can respond just as spontaneously. The user does not need to be active on the application or even to have unlocked their phone for, suddenly, a friend’s voice comes from the speaker of their smartphone.

“Sing, shout or whisper… your friends will hear you in real time, even when the phone is locked! », we can read in the description of Ten Ten on the App Store, which compares the application to a walkie-talkie. However, it is possible to mute contacts, or even to “cut everyone off”to avoid the untimely bursting of voices into the classroom or meeting.

How to explain this sudden success?

Launched more than a year ago, Ten Ten has been taking off since the end of May, to the point of having suffered technical problems due to the large number of connections. The free application now counts, according to figures communicated by the company to World, six million active users per month. For several days now, it has been the most downloaded on iOS and Android in France.

The success of certain TikTok videos dedicated to Ten Ten could partly explain this success. Around May 20, videos began circulating, filmed by young users. Some put themselves on stage in burlesque situations (jumping because of voice messages received in the middle of the night), others warn against the problems that the irruption of these messages could pose, for example during class. Some of these videos have garnered hundreds of thousands or even millions of views, and helped to raise awareness of the application.

“We didn’t expect such success”, confides Jule Comar, CEO of Ten Ten, by email. He boasts, with his application, “ a frictionless solution: no calls, no ringing… This is reminiscent of real-life means of communication. This is precisely what appeals to users, looking for more spontaneous communications. » For him, “the ease of use and simplicity of the interface play a determining role in this success, especially among the youngest, who expect applications that go to the essentials”.

This is not the first time that an application has enjoyed such rapid success with young people. Services like Yubo, Gossip and many others also experienced sudden popularity… Before sinking into oblivion. And had also generated their share of concerns.

Why is the app causing concern?

Since the explosion in the number of downloads, several media outlets have shared fears, particularly relating to the data collected by the application and the disruptions that Ten Ten may have caused in classes. But a long message published on X on Tuesday by Camille Chaize, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior, showed that the subject was of concern even within the ranks of the government. “Behind the fun, there are serious dangers to privacy and online security”she wrote, before detailing her grievances.

The spokesperson is concerned about the data collected by the application, believes that the live voice system “increases the risk of online harassment and invasion of privacy”and fears that teenagers are chatting on the app with strangers. “The use of Ten Ten should be done with great caution”warns Camille Chaize, who advises children “turn off notifications at night and in quiet places like school”as well as “to limit contacts”.

What data does Ten Ten collect?

Concerning the collection of personal data, Jule Comar explains that “the application does not collect more data than another application and even less location data. Like most applications, the only data collected is usage data, with the aim of continuously improving the application. » On the page dedicated to this subject, currently being improved, Ten Ten details the information that is collected, including the user name, telephone number, IP address or technical characteristics of the device. A rather “standard” harvest for an application. The company nevertheless specifies that its servers, where the data is stored, are located in the United States.

“We will never sell your data! “, nevertheless proclaims Ten Ten, in bold. The company promises that “all your conversations are ephemeral, we can’t listen to them, since we don’t even store them! “. A guarantee for privacy but which, by its nature, prevents any form of moderation – like classic telephone conversations, which are not moderated.

What does Ten Ten say to other critics?

The app raises concerns other than data collection. Like the risk of harassment, raised by the spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior. Has Ten Ten implemented any measures? “We are fully aware of the responsibility that falls on us, replies Jule Comar. We work hand in hand with the State to ensure total confidentiality of their data for all our users and protect minors who use the application. »

Another risk mentioned: the possibility of interacting with strangers. Certainly, Ten Ten strongly insists, in its various communication media, on the idea that it is an application for close friends. “Ten Ten is for friends – real ones”, can we read on the American App Store: “They are the only people you can truly be yourself with. » Certainly, but on TikTok for example, countless Ten Ten users publicly share their “PIN” (their identifier), which allows anyone to add them as a “friend”. However, it is impossible for a stranger to send a voice message to another user until the latter has accepted them as a contact. And Jule Comar adds that“there is no suggestion to add as we can see on other social networks”.

As for the intrusive aspect of the application, which would disrupt classrooms and teenagers’ sleep, the CEO insists that “each user remains in control with the possibility at any time to mute notifications in real time, in two clicks directly in the application”.

How was Ten Ten born?

Ten Ten was founded by two French people, Jule Colmar and Antoine Baché, CEO and technical director respectively. “In my group of close friends, we talk every day on several platforms, but I had the impression that they all had a kind of friction compared to the exchanges we had in real lifesays Jule Colmar. I wanted us to be able to communicate as if we were still under the same roof, like roommates: we talk to each other when we are in the kitchen or in the living room, and if the roommates are in their room, we knock when the door is closed and we wait for the response. »

Thus was born Ten Ten, whose name is “a nod to the Citizen Band short-range radio communications system”. The code 10-10 means “transmission completed, waiting”. The company was registered in France in 2021, and its team today consists of six people located in Paris, Bordeaux and Lyon.

For the moment, although Ten Ten is gaining users, it does not have an economic model allowing it to generate income. The team is now considering several avenues to develop its application, such as the creation, for example, of “inner circles of close friends or family members”confides Jule Comar, a feature which could make it possible to send voice messages to several people at the same time.