"I like the speed of the app," said Nugroho, who hopes the SHAREit file size can be reduced to allow more room for his phone's memory storage.

Cao Xiaohuan, co-founder and president of Mobvista, a leading Chinese mobile marketing platform, said the trend of domestically produced apps expanding globally can be traced to 2010. It was mainly led by tools and utility apps that were accepted by users from a range of cultural backgrounds.

Cao cited UC Browser, a web browser owned by tech giant Alibaba, as an example, and said that because of its smaller app download size, it is more suitable for lower-end smartphones.

Less than two years after its global launch in 2009, UC Browser had gained a considerable chunk of the market in Southeast Asia, as well as in India, where it was once the country's second-leading browser behind Google Chrome.

Echoing Cao's view, Meitu's Ke said her company's app faces fewer cultural barriers than others because many people just want an easy-to-use platform to edit and beautify their photos.

"But we also adopt a localized and refined way of operating (to meet beauty demands in different markets)," she said.

"For example, young women in Thailand prefer to edit their photos in a more creative way to show their personalities, such as using a special filter or frame," Ke said, adding that local teams and partnerships have been established to ensure tastes are being catered to.

Campaigns have also been launched for local events, including Songkran－the Thai New Year－and Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month, which is marked widely in Southeast Asia.

Izabel Cortez, a cosplayer from the Philippines living in the United States, was introduced to Meitu a year ago by a friend.

"Photo editing is important to further enhance pictures, including adjustments to color, brightness and saturation, especially if the photo was not taken in very good conditions," Cortez said, adding that stickers and filters can also make a photo more appealing.

"I like how the app can animate the photo's background and turn it into a video. It's really cool and fun," Cortez said, adding that many of her friends also use it. "I will keep it on my phone so I can use it whenever I want," she said.

Cao said that in recent years, Chinese apps across all categories have made huge advances in Southeast Asia and beyond, adding that platforms such as TikTok have introduced innovative ways to share user content.

In the gaming category, domestic internet companies Tencent and NetEase ranked first and second in annual account revenue on both the App Store and Google Play last year, according to mobile data company App Annie.

SHAREit's Wang said, "With a huge population base, rapid economic development and a relatively less-developed internet environment, what is happening in emerging markets now is very similar to how China was a few years ago, which creates many possibilities for the success of Chinese companies going global."

Cao said localization remains a major challenge for Chinese app developers in Southeast Asia, adding that companies must be patient and persistent to tackle challenges, while focusing on the basics of their products and business operations.

Wang said app companies need to be vigilant over issues such as religious sensitivity and copyright compliance by developing customized market policies and multicultural teams.

As for SHAREit, in addition to having a team in India, it is cooperating with local platforms in the country to match content with the right users through big data analysis and artificial intelligence.

Ke, from Meitu, said the company will focus more on post-production for videos, as there is solid demand in Southeast Asia. Another key focus will be considering internet infrastructure across the region to provide a smooth photo-editing experience.

"We are not afraid of competition. We have a huge tech team with more than 10 years' experience, so we are really confident in our technological capability," Ke said.

In April, the Meitu Imaging & Vision Lab won first place in the Image Enhancement Challenge at the 2019 New Trends in Image Restoration conference in Long Beach, California, a global event representing the best in digital image restoration and enhancement.

Saragih, the Indonesian video creator, said: "The Meitu app is really good, and I have never found one like this before. I will make more tutorials about using this app."

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