Table of Contents
One Step Closer
TikTok appears to be on the verge of unveiling its long-awaited dedicated photo app, which may now have a new, official name.
As shown in this example by @cmcalgary, certain app users are now being notified that their still image submissions will soon be available on “TikTok Notes”.
As per the pop-up:
“The Notes, a new app for photo posts, will be available soon. Your current and future public photo posts will appear on TikTok Notes.
An Uno Reverse Card?
So, essentially, TikTok wants to establish a clone of Instagram and populate it with all of the still photographs that have already been shared on the main app.
So it’s playing an Uno reverse card on Meta and reproducing its capabilities for a change, but whether TikTok fans will be interested in a separate still image app remains to be seen.
As previously stated, TikTok has been experimenting with a photo app for some time, with references to “TikTok Photos” found in the app’s backend code early last month. That appears to have been changed to “TikTok Notes,” which could be another dig at Instagram, which has its own “Notes” function that now allows you to share different types of updates with selected contacts.
Post Your Pictures On TikTok!
They have also been encouraging users to share still photographs within the app. In 2022, it launched a “photo mode” that allows users to share still photographs in-stream, which it has also encouraged with pop-up alerts.
The addition of a still image app is also consistent with Chinese market trends, as Tencent-backed Xiaohongshu, effectively a local version of Instagram, has enjoyed significant popularity, particularly since introducing eCommerce services.
As a result, it makes sense for the app to experiment with its existing material. But it’s been skeptical that consumers will desire another still image app, and that will be able to replicate its short-form video success on another platform.
However, with a potential ban looming, the app may be pushing out all the brakes and trying out its numerous experiments while it still can.
ByteDance, the owner of the platform, has already established its independent eCommerce platform Lemon8 in Western markets, which received a lot of early attention before losing traction after a few months. It also has TikTok Music, which has achieved some popularity.
A separate image app is another possible approach, and the application appears to be moving forward with it, as least as a trial.
Stay updated on all of the latest news by subscribing to the ITP Live newsletter below or by clicking the push notifications.