TikTok is shutting down its Instagram competitor, TikTok Notes, on May 8. The photo-sharing app launched in testing in Canada, Australia, and Vietnam last year.
The company is notifying TikTok Notes users of its decision to retire the app and is directing them to ByteDance-owned Lemon8, which isn’t surprising given that the apps are quite similar and offer the same sort of functionality.
“We’re excited to bring the feedback from TikTok Notes to Lemon8 as we continue building a dedicated space for our community to share and experience photo content, designed to complement and enhance the TikTok experience,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch.
While TikTok didn’t provide a specific reason for shutting down the app, it’s likely that the company didn’t see much adoption for TikTok Notes and is deciding to instead push Lemon8, which had around 12.5 million global monthly active users as of December 2024.
In a notice to TikTok Notes users, TikTok says the decision to shut down the app “was not made lightly.” The notice encourages users to download and save their TikTok Notes data and “continue sharing your creativity on Lemon8.” TikTok says that “Lemon8 is a lifestyle app that offers a similar experience to TikTok Notes” but with “even more features.”
Lemon8 launched in Japan in 2020 and later expanded to markets across the U.S. and Southeast Asia. The app is similar to Instagram and Pinterest, as it lets users share slideshows and photo collections and browse content through “Following” and “For You” feeds. Lemon8 offers users access to creative tools, filters, effects, stickers, text templates, and more.
While TikTok is pushing Lemon8 as an alternative to TikTok Notes, ByteDance has also tried to position the app as an alternative to TikTok itself in the face of a potential U.S. ban.
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Last November, the company made it possible for users to directly access Lemon8 with their TikTok accounts and rolled out the ability for users to cross-share photo content between the apps. The move was seen as a way for ByteDance to move creators onto the new platform without having to get them to sign up for it separately in case TikTok were to go away.
Fast-forward to today, and TikTok continues to promote Lemon8 in its app as it faces a new ban deadline of April 5.
