By iNextAgent 
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has reached a significant milestone in its global AI expansion. Dola, its flagship AI assistant for international markets, has officially surpassed 10 million Daily Active Users (DAU), solidifying its position as a major player in the mobile AI space.
From Cici to Dola: A Strategic Rebrand
Dola’s journey to the top began in August 2023 when ByteDance launched the app under the name Cici. Initially targeting emerging markets in Southeast Asia and Latin America, Cici shared a similar visual identity and core architecture with Doubao, ByteDance’s massive hit in the Chinese domestic market.
In late 2025, ByteDance executed a strategic rebrand, renaming Cici to Dola. This shift marked the beginning of a hyper-growth phase, with the app seeing a surge in adoption across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Mexico throughout the second half of the year.
An All-in-One AI Powerhouse
Listed on Google Play as a comprehensive “Writing, Thinking, and Creating” assistant, Dola offers a robust suite of features:
- Conversational Intelligence: High-speed Q&A and reasoning.
- Content Creation: Advanced writing assistance and real-time translation.
- Multimodal Capabilities: Built-in image generation and analysis.
Dominating Emerging Markets
While OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini focus on premium global markets, ByteDance has successfully captured the “Next Billion Users” by optimizing Dola for regional preferences and hardware capabilities in developing economies. The 10 million DAU milestone proves that ByteDance’s localized AI strategy is yielding massive dividends.