TikTok users flock to new little-known app that's shot to number one of charts
TikTok users are flooding to a new app as the US ban looms.
With the potential ban of TikTok in the US hanging in the air, many users are jumping ship to alternative platforms.
One lesser-known app that's now seeing a surge in popularity is Little Red Book, also known as Xiaohongshu or RedNote.
The app, which is available on both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store, is like a mix of TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest.
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It displays the familiar vertical video feed tailored to personal interests. As of recent, RedNote has become the top-ranked app in the Apple store and reached the 34th spot on Google’s platform.
Launched in 2013, RedNote is one of the most popular apps in China and boasts over 300 million monthly active users.
The app is valued at over $3 billion with nearly $1 billion in venture funding and has been a mainstay in China for years, competing with platforms like Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) and Alibaba, according to TechCrunch.
But it's received more worldwide attention after the news of a potential TikTok ban in the US came to light.
In April last year, the US Congress passed a bipartisan bill threatening to ban TikTok unless its ownership changes.
President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on April 24 2024 which gives its parent company ByteDance 270 days to divest from TikTok or face a ban. The app is classed as 'a national-security threat of immense depth and scale' because of alleged links with China and concerns about US users’ data being shared unlawfully with the Communist government.
TikTok and ByteDance have denied these allegations and are contesting the ban at the Supreme Court.
The uncertainty has led many TikTok creators to experiment with RedNote as a new platform, sharing tutorials and inviting their followers to try it out.
Videos welcoming so-called 'TikTok refugees' have helped RedNote gain traction.
Much of the app’s interface is still in Chinese, however, which can be confusing for new users.
But as more people join and assist newcomers, users have started creating tutorials on TikTok to guide others on changing the app's language to English, making it more accessible to a global audience.
Whether the ban will go ahead is still up in the air for the time being.
“A TikTok ban would be absolutely catastrophic for the creators and the small businesses who rely on it,” said Jess Maddox, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama.
“I’ve spent my career talking to creators and influencers, they are resilient, they’ll pivot, but it will be a struggle in the meantime and take a hit to them financially.”