Tech Desk 
Apr 12, 2024
TikTok, the short-form video king, is setting its sights on photo domination with a new app in the works. The ByteDance-owned platform is looking to challenge Meta's Instagram by offering a dedicated space for photos and text.
This move comes amidst a heating up tech rivalry. Just last year, Meta (formerly Facebook) launched Threads to compete with Elon Musk's Twitter acquisition, now known as X.
Details about the new app are scarce, but it's expected to be called TikTok Notes. Some TikTok users have already been alerted about the upcoming app through pop-up notifications offering to share their existing photos.
The notification read: "The company is soon launching a new app for photo posts called TikTok Notes and users’ existing photo posts will be shared on the app. Users can choose to not share their image posts to the new app too."
"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 told Tech Crunch.
Luckily, users will have the option to opt out if they don't want their pictures migrating to the new platform.
This image shows a screenshot of TikTok notification. — X/@heyalexfriedman
While TikTok remains tight-lipped about specific features, a spokesperson did acknowledge their focus on "empowering our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text."
This new app could shake up the social media landscape, especially considering the ongoing political uncertainty surrounding TikTok's ownership. With the US potentially forcing ByteDance to sell its stake, the future of TikTok, and potentially TikTok Notes, remains to be seen.
