With TikTok likely just days away from being banned in the US, the app’s users are pushing some previously little-known apps to the top of Apple and Google’s stores. The app that has benefited the most so far is a Chinese social media app called “RedNote,” or Xiaohongshu, which translates to “little red book.”
The TikTok-like short video app is currently number one on Apple’s App Store and is ranked 34th on Google’s Play Store. RedNote is gaining popularity as many TikTok creators have started using it about their experiences trying out the Chinese app. Several YouTubers have now shared videos on RedNote about the inclusion of “TikTok refugees” in the service.
The app is similar to TikTok and offers the ability to vertically scroll through feeds of short videos based on your interests. Much of the app’s interface is in Chinese, so navigation can be a bit confusing, although there are some on TikTok that explain how to change the app’s language to English.
Although RedNote seems to have come out of nowhere, the app has enjoyed great popularity in China for years. CNBC that the more than decade-old app is seen as a challenger to ByteDance’s Douyin and e-commerce giant Alibaba, which has around 300 million users.
RedNote isn’t the only app being promoted by concerned TikTok users. Another ByteDance app, Lemon8, is also trending in both Apple and Google stores, where it ranks second and first, respectively. But while TikTok itself has done this at times If the Supreme Court sides with the Biden administration, Lemon8 will likely suffer the same fate as TikTok .
Another video app which describes itself as “Where social meets shopping,” is also trending in both app stores. The app from Los Angeles-based Humans, Inc. features short videos and an in-app storefront. It is currently ranked 14th in the Google Store and fourth in the Apple Store. The company was valued at more than $1 billion last year .
Another app that appears to have benefited from the looming TikTok ban is called “ReelShort.” While the app’s name sounds like a nod to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts – both established TikTok clones – the app appears to be less of a TikTok clone and more of a wannabe clone . The app offers bite-sized clips of longer “movies” with bizarre titles like “The Heiress Blacklisted her Husband” and “In Love with the Alpha.” ReelShort is number seven on the App Store and number two on Google Play.
While it’s unlikely that any of these apps will remain popular for long, the fact that so many relatively unknown apps have risen to the top of app stores so quickly is another sign of how influential TikTok’s users and creators can be . It also shows how alone the TikTok ban is the influence of Chinese technology companies in the USA.
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