In the battle for Gen Z’s attention, the rivalry between TikTok and Instagram is about to get a lot fiercer.
Video content may have fueled the app’s explosive growth, but TikTok is now preparing to launch its own photo-sharing app called TikTok Notes.
Some TikTok users have started seeing pop-up notifications revealing that their photos will be displayed in a new app.
‘TikTok Notes, a new photo posting app, is coming soon!’ the notification says.
The Chinese-owned social media giant has not confirmed when TikTok Notes might arrive.
Video-sharing giant TikTok is reportedly preparing to launch a new dedicated photo-sharing app called TikTok Notes.
Some TikTok users have started seeing pop-up notifications revealing that their photos will be displayed in a new app.
Although TikTok is best known for its video content, users can share photos and slideshows through the app.
Now, it looks like these photo posts will be displayed in the new ‘TikTok Notes’.
The pop-up window gives users the option to opt out of having their posts automatically loaded in the new app.
TikTok has confirmed that it is actively working on the app, but has no plans at this time to make it widely available.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to innovating the TikTok experience, we are 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 MailOnline.
Separately, a TikTok-owned URL briefly displayed what appears to be placeholder marketing images with the text “Opening in TikTok Notes.”
This page, which MailOnline accessed via Internet Archivegives us a first idea of ​​what the photo sharing app would look like.
The site displays three square photographs, each with a caption underneath.
It’s not yet clear how the new app will work, but this suggests that users will be able to post images with captions similar to Instagram.
A URL owned by TikTok briefly showed what appeared to be placeholder marketing material for the new app, showing that users would be able to post images with captions.
These revelations come at a time when TikTok is entering into increasingly close competition with its Meta-owned competitor.
Last year, Instagram launched ‘Reels’, its own short-form video feature that almost perfectly replicated TikTok’s distinctive scrolling feed.
These efforts already appear to be paying off, as Instagram surpassed TikTok in new app downloads by the end of 2023.
Total new Instagram downloads grew by 20 percent in 2023, according to data from Sensor Tower, reaching a total of 768 million.
Meanwhile, TikTok only increased its new downloads by four percent during the same time, bringing the total to 733 million.
This leaves Instagram with an estimated 1.47 billion monthly active users in 2023, while TikTok only reached 1.12 billion.
Instagram recently surpassed TikTok in new monthly downloads thanks to the ‘Reels’ video feature. TikTok Notes Could Be a Direct Challenge to the Photo-Sharing Platform
However, these new notifications suggest that TikTok could be about to launch a serious Instagram competitor.
Despite facing a possible ban in the United States, TikTok is still used by a third of all American adults and 62 percent of adults ages 18 to 29, according to Pew Research.
And while Instagram may be bigger, TikTok takes up more of its users’ time than any other platform.
The average TikTok user spends 95 minutes a day watching videos, while British children spend a whopping 127 minutes a day.
If TikTok can replicate its success formula with a new image-sharing app, Instagram could have a lot more competition for new users.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.