Meet the Chinese app that pulled in 400 million users in a month

Amap app

Alibaba’s Amap has just pulled off a feat most apps can only dream of: 400 million people have tried out its new “destination ranking” feature in less than a month. That’s nearly half of its user base, and a clear shot at Meituan—the reigning force in food reviews and local services.

Launched on September 10, Amap Street Stars uses AI to rank restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions. Think of it as a mashup of navigation, Yelp-style reviews, and algorithmic taste-making. The early traction is staggering: on October 1 alone, Alibaba’s in-app AI assistant Xiaogao pushed over 92 million lifestyle recommendations and handled 2.6 billion user requests. During China’s Golden Week holiday, Amap hit a record 360 million daily users, helping them navigate a jaw-dropping nine billion kilometres.

Amap, also known internationally as AutoNavi, is China’s answer to Google Maps—except with a lot more cultural stickiness. It’s the country’s fourth largest mobile app by monthly active users, trailing only WeChat, Douyin (China’s TikTok), and Alibaba’s own Taobao. With 895 million monthly users as of June, Amap is no niche app; it’s one of the default utilities of Chinese urban life.

Alibaba isn’t launching these features in a vacuum. Meituan, with its Dianping app, has long dominated restaurant reviews and local recommendations. In response to Street Stars, Meituan said it would start using AI to clean up user reviews and even launched a “quality food delivery” tier. It also pledged subsidies of up to 50,000 yuan each for 10,000 smaller restaurants during the National Day holiday, hoping to shore up goodwill.

The timing is telling. Meituan’s Hong Kong-listed stock has fallen 30 percent this year, while Alibaba’s shares have surged 128 percent. If Amap keeps growing as a lifestyle and local services hub—not just a map app—it could reshape the balance of power in China’s hypercompetitive delivery and recommendations market.