TikTok may be looking to swipe some Instagram users.
The video app plans to test a new feature called TikTok Notes that will be a platform for sharing photos and text.
Based on an early glimpse of it, the look appears similar to Instagram. Here's what to know so far.
What is TikTok Notes?
A web page for TikTok Notes has a graphic of photos with captions underneath, which have emojis after the text in the example.
The layout is similar to Instagram, but there is no way to use it yet. The "Open App" button on the page was not yet functional.
TikTok already allows for posting photos, but it plans on experimenting what a dedicated space for photo sharing and text would look like, a TikTok spokesperson told TODAY.com.
One TikTok user shared a pop-up message on Reddit telling them their photos “will be used on TikTok Notes” and that it was “coming soon.”
The message then notes the user has to opt out if they don’t want their existing and future photos shown on TikTok Notes.
When will TikTok Notes be added to the app?
Don't expect to see it anytime soon if you are using TikTok in the U.S.
The feature is not available anywhere yet. The company plans on testing it in smaller markets, but has no current plans to test it in the U.S., according to the spokesperson.
"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," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The feature also could be very different by the time it launches if TikTok decides to add it to the app.
There is no specific reason the feature isn't being tested in the U.S. other than trying it in smaller markets, the spokesperson said.
The company has faced heavy congressional scrutiny and a potential ban in the U.S.
Congressional critics of TikTok have argued it presents a national security threat by collecting data on 170 million American users and pushing Chinese propaganda.
In March, the House of Representatives passed what would amount to a ban on TikTok unless TikTok’s China-based parent company sells the app.
The bill would still need to pass the Senate and be signed into law by President Joe Biden to take effect.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew deniedin testimony before Congress last year that the Chinese government controls the app and pushed back against suggestions that China accesses U.S. user data.
What other apps have replicated popular features from rival companies?
The new feature that appears to be competing with Instagram is the latest seemingly copycat feature between social media giants.
Instagram and Facebook each added Stories in 2016 and 2017, respectively, which imitated rival Snapchat, the first major app to feature videos that expire after a designated time. The feature became a popular addition for Instagram and Facebook.
X, formerly Twitter, tried its own version of Stories with Fleets, but discontinued it in 2021.
X also added Spaces, an audio chat feature, after the popularity of the similar app Clubhouse in the early days of the pandemic in 2020.
TikTok has also seen its own features copied by rival social media platforms.
Sulafa Zidani, an assistant professor of communication studies at Northwestern University, said it's no surprise that TikTok is seemingly making its version of Instagram.
"We saw this when TikTok quickly gained popularity in the U.S., and, in response, Instagram launched Reels and YouTube added Shorts to compete with the short video format that gained TikTok its popularity," Zidani told TODAY.com.
However, just adding a feature similar to Instagram is no guarantee it will be popular with users.
"Social media companies must toe the line between making their uniqueness clear and offering their audiences features that are available on their competitors’ app," Zidani said. "Copying features can only get you so far if you are not standing out.
Scott Stump is a trending reporter and the writer of the daily newsletter This is TODAY (which you should subscribe to here!) that brings the day's news, health tips, parenting stories, recipes and a daily delight right to your inbox. He has been a regular contributor for TODAY.com since 2011, producing features and news for pop culture, parents, politics, health, style, food and pretty much everything else.
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