A brand-new app that TikTok is testing is just for sharing images with text updates. TikTok Notes is the app’s name, and Australia and Canada can get it right now.
In an update on X, the business stated, “We’re in the early stages of experimenting with a dedicated space for photo and text content with TikTok Notes.” “We’re hoping that the TikTok community will keep posting photos of their moments using TikTok Notes. The TikTok Notes experience is made for those who want to interact and share through visual content, whether they are sharing moments from their day, expressing creativity, or chronicling trips.
Based on App Store screenshots, it appears the app will, like TikTok, have two feeds: a “for you” timeline of recommended content as well as a “following” feed. Posts appear to be very similar to what you’d see scrolling Instagram (before TikTok-like video took over the app, anyway): single images or carousels of multiple photos with lengthy captions.
Rumors of the Instagram-like app have been swirling for the last month as reverse engineers unearthed references in TikTok’s code. Some TikTok users had also seen in-app notifications about the new service in recent days.
It’s an interesting moment for TikTok to try to take on Instagram’s central feature. Having a photo-focused app gives TikTok users a new place to share non-video content and potentially reach their existing audience. The company is also facing the possibility its main app could be banned or drawn into a lengthy legal fight in the United States, so having an alternative app could help it maintain users in the country (TikTok hasn’t said when Notes might be available in the US.)
It also comes at a time when many Instagram users are frustrated with Meta about the reach of their feed posts. Instagram’s top exec Adam Mosseri regularly responds to frustrated creators on Threads about why their feed posts don’t seem to reach as many followers as they used to. If TikTok Notes takes off, those creators may actually have a viable alternative for posting photos.
