TikTok’s upcoming Instagram competitor app for sharing photos could be named TikTok Notes, according to screenshots posted by users.
Over the last few days, TikTok users have been getting pop-up notifications about a new TikTok Notes app to share photos.
The notification says that the company is launching “a new app for photo posts” called TikTok Notes soon and users’ existing photo posts will be shared on the app.
Looks like TikTok is launching a new app for photo posts called 'TikTok Notes'.
TikTok is also experimenting with different formats like 30-minute-long videos and even text posts like X and Threads.
Hoping to stall a ban, TikTok says it generated $14.7B for US small businesses last yearAs U.S. lawmakers weigh a possible TikTok ban, the ByteDance-owned short-form video app released an economic impact report on Thursday.
In it, the company touts the platform generated $14.7 billion for small- to mid-size businesses (SMBs) last year, and a further $24.2 billion in total economic activity, supported through small business’s use of TikTok.
In addition, it says that over 7 million U.S. businesses rely on TikTok and that 224,000 jobs were supported by small business activity on the platform in 2023.
In March, a bill that could ban TikTok passed in the House of Representatives.
The Trump administration had previously sought to ban TikTok, calling it a national security risk, but Trump now opposes a ban, saying that Meta would benefit.
Facebook is introducing a new, full-screen video player on Wednesday, which offers a more consistent design and experience for all types of video lengths, including short-form Reels, long-form videos, and even Live content.
These improved recommendations will also appear outside the player, on the Facebook Feed and Video tab.
Facebook says its upgraded player will also offer new controls like a full-screen mode for horizontal videos and a slider to skip around in longer videos.
TikTok, by comparison, has also tested horizontal videos and long-form content of 30 minutes as it looks to compete with YouTube and other sites.
The timing of the video player change also comes at a time when U.S. lawmakers are weighing a possible TikTok ban, which, if enacted, could increase video consumption on other social platforms.
Agnes Kozera and David Kierzkowski, the co-founders of podcast sponsorship marketplace Podcorn, today launched their newest app—Storiaverse, a short-form entertainment platform that offers a multi-format reading experience, combining animated video and written content.
Available on iOS and Android devices, Storiaverse caters to graphic novel readers and adult animation fans who want to discover original stories in a short-form, animated format.
At launch, Storiaverse offers 25 original titles spanning genres such as science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and comedy.
Additionally, TikTok star and independent animator King Science (Science Akbar) is teaming up to create an exclusive story on the app.
There are currently over 100 creators working with Storiaverse and more than 100 stories in development.
The company announced on Tuesday that it’s expanding its dedicated STEM feed across Europe, starting in the U.K. and Ireland, after first launching it in the U.S. last year.
The STEM feed will begin to automatically appear alongside the “For You” and “Following” feeds for users under the age of 18.
Users above the age of 18 can enable the STEM feed via the app’s “content preferences” settings.
TikTok says that since launching the feed in the U.S. last year, 33% of users have the STEM feed enabled and a third of teens go to the STEM feed every week.
Content that doesn’t pass both of these checkpoints will not be eligible for the STEM feed.
TikTok ban could harm Amazon sellers looking for alternatives The ban could prematurely end TikTok's e-commerce dream and hit sellers seeking new channelsIn March, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that could force ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban in U.S. app stores.
Research from Jungle Scout, an Amazon data intelligence provider, provides some idea of TikTok’s e-commerce impact, however.
It found that 20% of Amazon sellers, brands, and businesses have plans to expand to TikTok Shop this year.
TikTok isn’t the only platform on the list for merchants looking for more channels beyond Amazon to expand their customer bases.
But if TikTok Shop’s strategy is mainly focused on bringing offline businesses online for the first time, that could be a very big move.
Instagram is developing a “Blend” feature that creates a private feed of Reels recommended for you and a friend.
According to a screenshot posted on X by Paluzzi, a Blend would include “Reels recommendations based on Reels you’ve shared with each other and your Reels interests.”In other words, if you invited a friend to a “Blend,” Instagram would generate a personalized feed of Reels that it believes the two of you would be interested in.
#Instagram is working on Blend: #Reels recommendations based on reels you've shared each other and your reels interests 👀 ℹ️ Private between the two of you.
Since people already send each other Reels via DMs, Instagram would now be using that data to proactively recommend and display Reels that it believes a pair of users would enjoy.
If released, Blend would give Instagram Reels users access to a fun and collaborative feature that isn’t available on its rival platform, TikTok.
The addition of music videos is included among these new features in the U.S.Spotify recently announced its plans to support music videos, saying in March it would test the option in beta in 11 select markets — which, at the time, didn’t include the U.S.
With the UMG deal, U.S. users will also have the option of watching music videos instead of just streaming audio.
To watch videos, Spotify users can access a new “Switch to Video” option from the app’s Now Playing Screen.
For instance, UMG artists will be able to share teasers of upcoming songs and users will be able to pre-save music before a new release.
By partnering with Spotify, UMG still has a way to promote its music to fans, even if its artists lose the ability to market themselves on TikTok.
Two weeks ago, TechCrunch broke the news that LinkedIn was getting into games, helping users “deepen relationships” through puzzle-based interactions.
And on Wednesday, TechCrunch reported that the Microsoft-owned social network was experimenting with short-form videos.
It’s as if LinkedIn is targeting a whole new “type” of user — one caught in limbo somewhere between two other well-known social networks.
And LinkedIn shouldn’t try to be Twitter or TikTok — it’s aimed at an entirely different audience.
And now with games and short-form videos in the mix, LinkedIn wants even more of the action.
With TikTok potentially poised for a U.S. ban, YouTube is touting how well its own TikTok competitor, YouTube Shorts, is paying off for creators.
TikTok’s year-old fund, which replaced TikTok’s $1 billion Creator Fund, is now exiting beta.
YouTube first introduced monetization options for Shorts creators in September 2022, with its plans for expanding the YouTube Partner Progam (YPP).
But starting in early 2023, Shorts creators could meet a new threshold of 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views over 90 days.
What’s more, YouTube notes that creators participating in the partner program for Shorts often monetize in other ways, as well.
