In a direct reference to Instagram’s well-liked text-based content feature, Notes, which had been gaining popularity, TikTok Notes was launched as a tool that enabled users to publish brief, text-based postings on the network. The platform’s endeavor to diversify its content beyond its video-centric roots has come to an end with the decision to cease TikTok Notes. TikTok Notes had the potential to revolutionize how users engaged with the app for a short time by giving them an opportunity to express themselves beyond only images and videos.
Short-form videos have long been associated with TikTok, which has grown to become one of the most widely used social media platforms worldwide. The emergence of TikTok’s proprietary algorithm, which drives its viral videos, enabled it to swiftly surpass other rivals, including Instagram, which dominated the social media landscape for years. However, users’ demands for fresh and creative ways to engage online are continuously shifting the landscape of digital content development.
In response, TikTok made an effort to use TikTok Notes to enter the text-based sharing space. By enabling users to post brief ideas, comments, or updates that weren’t always related to a video, the function was intended to provide a forum for more impromptu and intimate encounters.
On May 8, TikTok will shut down TikTok Notes, its Instagram rival. Last year, the photo-sharing app went live in Canada, Australia, and Vietnam for testing. Since the applications are somewhat similar and provide comparable features, it is not surprising that the firm is informing TikTok Notes users of its decision to deactivate the app and referring them to Lemon8, which is owned by ByteDance.
Although TikTok did not give a particular explanation for the app’s closure, it is likely that the firm decided to focus on Lemon8, which as of December 2024 had about 12.5 million monthly active users worldwide, in place of TikTok Notes because the latter did not experience significant uptake. According to a note sent to TikTok Notes users, the decision to discontinue the app “was not made lightly.” Users are urged to “continue sharing your creativity on Lemon8” and download and save their TikTok Notes data. Lemon8 is a lifestyle app that provides a comparable experience to TikTok Notes, according to TikTok, but with “even more features.”
In 2020, Lemon8 made its debut in Japan and subsequently spread to markets in Southeast Asia and the United States. The software is similar to Instagram and Pinterest, as it lets users post slideshows and photo collections and browse content through “Following” and “For You” feeds. Users of Lemon8 can use a variety of creative tools, including text templates, stickers, filters, effects, and more. In the wake of a possible U.S. ban, ByteDance has attempted to present Lemon8 as an alternative to TikTok, even as TikTok promotes it as a substitute for TikTok Notes.
The business introduced cross-sharing of photo content between the apps and allowed users to access Lemon8 directly using their TikTok accounts in November of last year. In the event that TikTok disappeared, the move was perceived as a means for ByteDance to transfer creators to the new site without requiring them to register for it separately. As of right now, TikTok is still promoting Lemon8 within its app despite the fact that it faces a new suspension deadline of April 5.
