TikTok to launch photo app ‘Notes’ to rival Instagram as social media giant drops hint on possible launch date
TikTok is gearing up to launch a photo-sharing app dubbed “Notes” in a move that could rival social media platform Instagram.
Users have reported seeing pop up notifications with information on the latest app.
TikTok chiefs have not confirmed when it will launch but said it will be “soon”.
Some Reddit users have shared screenshots of what the app could soon become.
In one picture, the message on the TikTok app reads: “Your photo posts will now be shown on TikTok”.
It continues saying: “TikTok Notes, a new app for photo posts, is coming soon! Your existing and future public TikTok photo posts will be shown on TikTok Notes.”
The message adds: “If you prefer not to show your public TikTok photo posts on TikTok Notes, turn this off now.”
The photo features a slider button where users can choose to share on the new app or not.
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TikTok said they are working on the new app but it is not available for users yet.
A spokesperson 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.”
The runaway success of TikTok has forced competitors like Instagram and YouTube to shift focus to shorter video clips, launching competitors Reels and Shorts respectively to avoid losing users.
The TikTok Photos app was initially discovered by TheSpAndroid blog, which unearthed details of the as-yet-unannounced app within the code of the latest version of the TikTok app on Android.
According to code discovered by team at TheSpAndroid, posting a photo on TikTok will summon a prompt about the new app, stating “TikTok Photos will be launched soon…”
Early code within the latest version of TikTok suggests that photos posted on the video-sharing platform will also be shared on TikTok Photos.
An app icon for TikTok Photos on iOS and Android was also discovered hiding in the code. It recycles the same colour scheme found on the primary TikTok app.