With TikTok likely just days away from being banned in the US, the app’s users are pushing some previously little-known apps to the top of Apple and Google’s stores. The app that has so far seemed to benefit the most is a Chinese social media app called “RedNote” or Xiaohongshu, which translates to “little red book.”
The TikTok-like app for shortform video is currently the number one app in Apple’s App Store and is in the 34th spot in Google’s Play Store. RedNote has been gaining popularity as many TikTok creators have begun posting about their experiences trying out the Chinese app. Meanwhile, over on RedNote, a number of creators have shared videos about welcoming “TikTok refugees” to the service.
The app is set up very much like TikTok, with the ability to vertically scroll through feeds of shortform videos based on your interests. Much of the app’s interface is in Chinese, so it can be a bit confusing to navigate, though there are some helpful videos on TikTok that explain how to change the app’s language to English.
While RedNote seems to have come out of nowhere, the app has been popular in China for years. CNBC reports that the more than decade-old app is seen as a challenger to ByteDance’s Douyin and e-commerce giant Alibaba, with about 300 million users.
RedNote isn’t the only app that’s been boosted by anxious TikTok users. Another ByteDance app, Lemon8, is also trending in both Apple and Google’s stores, where it’s in the second and first spot, respectively. But while TikTok itself has at times boosted the app, Lemon8 will likely face the same fate as TikTok should the Supreme Court side with the Biden Administration, which seems likely.
Another video app called Flip, which describes itself as “where social meets shopping,” is also trending in both app stores. The app, from Los Angeles-based Humans, Inc., features shortform videos and an in-app storefront. It’s currently ranked number 14 in Google’s store and number four in Apple’s. The company was valued at more than $1 billion last year, according to Crunchbase.
Another app that has seemingly benefited from the impending TikTok ban is something called “ReelShort.” While the app’s name sounds like a play on Instagram’s reels and YouTube Shorts — both of which are well established TikTok clones — the app seems to be less of a TikTok clone and more of a wannabe streaming platform. The app features bite-sized clips of longer “movies” with bizarre titles like “The Heiress Blacklisted her Husband” and “In Love with the Alpha.” ReelShort is number seven in the App Store number two in Google Play.
While it’s unlikely any of these apps will remain popular for long, the fact that so many relatively unknown apps have risen to the top of the app stores so quickly is yet another sign of how influential TikTok’s users and creators can be. It also highlights how banning TikTok alone won’t curb the influence of Chinese tech companies in the US.
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
