the launch of Total which is a customized version of Android that uses its own proprietary technology called UTTP, which is based on Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) protocol that is supported by nearly all GSM phones that allowed users to access services on their mobile even in the offline mode or without internet. Hike teamed up with mobile carriers and OEMs for Total, with device makers bundling a tweaked version of Android that makes Hike the default text/call app. The total was targeted at the next billion mobile-first customers. Users can access essential services such as Messaging, News, Horoscope, Recharge, Wallet, Cricket Scores and Rail information even without an active internet connection with services taking less than 100 kb to 1 MB of size. Users can also buy data packs which are as low as ₹1 from within the operating system. Hike announced Intex Technologies, Karbonn Mobiles as device partners and BSNL, Aircel as telecom service providers. Hike announced the availability of the Total platform for 'Mera Pehla Smartphone' initiative launched by Airtel India. The first batch of handsets supporting the technology were released by March 2018. It wasn't available for download on Google Play as it is exclusive to handset models produced by partner original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). User statistics Hike acquired its first five million users within three months after the app launch which increased to fifteen million by September 2013. Up to May 2014, the user base increased to twenty million with additional fifteen million joining till August 2014. Hike reached seventy million users till October 2015 by adding an additional thirty million within three months from August 2015. Twenty billion messages were shared regularly every month till August 2015, that grew to over one billion messages shared every single day by December 2015, that again doubled to forty billion monthly messages till January 2016 as users are spending over 120 minutes per week on the app. On average, users are spending more than 120 minutes per week on the app as they are viewing 11.2 news stories on average per user per day while transferring close to 10 million files with Hike Direct which is more than 200 terabytes of data without the use of actual internet. As of January 2019, 29 percent of internet users in India use Hike as a messenger or VoIP platform. Hike crossed over its first hundred million registered users