With intentions to introduce a new area for images, TikTok might be about to evolve into much more than just a video app.
Instagram’s competitor is moving in the opposite direction and trying to see if it can seize any photo territory as the platform continues to delve more into video, which is causing debate among fans of the original strategy.
Some users have been notified that, unless they choose to opt out, their photo posts will be transmitted to a new app called TikTok Notes.
“TikTok Notes, a new app for photo posts, is coming soon!” it announces.
The message has not yet been distributed to reporters at iPhonebasket, and the modification has not yet been implemented widely.
No release date has been confirmed either, but it’s something to watch out for over the weeks ahead.
How the new app might look was leaked from a website which showed an ad for TikTok notes, before swiftly being taken down.
It shows photos with captions below, looking very much like the classic offering from Instagram.
A spokesperson for the brand said: ‘As part of our continued commitment to innovating the TikTok experience, we’re exploring ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text in a dedicated space for those formats.’
TikTok is facing a potential ban in the US if its Chinese owner ByteDance doesn’t sell it within six months of the law being passed.
That’s because legislators believe that the company could share sensitive data about the 170 million users in the US with China’s ruling Communist Party, and are also concerned about censorship.
The news about TikTok Notes comes after Instagram launched Threads last year, itself a rival to Twitter, now known as X, and Substack’s own Twitter rival, also called Notes.
Threads also relied on an app’s existing userbase, with people able to link their Instagram account to the text based service.
The launch of ‘Reels’ in 2020 and the ability to edit video in Instagram came after TikTok proved wildly popular with younger users.
In an obvious move to try and claw back market share, Instagram boss Adam Mosser said they would lean into a ‘shift to video’ in 2022.
But there was a massive backlash as videos were promoted more, with big names saying they missed the previous format and complaining their photo posts had low engagement.
Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner both shared a ‘petition’ to ‘Make Instagram Instagram again’ on their stories.
Parent company Meta was forced to U-turn and respond saying they would ‘take the time to make sure we get this right.’
TikTok already gives users the chance to share photos, but the main offering is shortform video.
With around one billion active monthly users, the Chinese app has a huge pool of people to potentially use the new service – so Instagram may be concerned.
