The next of TikTok I would be your own Instagram clone, which would be released very soon. As reported TheSPAndroidthe popular video platform is working on TikTok Photosa new application that, as its name indicates, would be dedicated exclusively to publishing photos.
The clues about the existence of TikTok Photos were found when analyzing the code of the most recent version of the TikTok APK for Android. There, multiple references appeared to obtain and use the app in question. For example: “Share this post on TikTok Photos” or “Reach others who also enjoy photo posts,” among others.
This change in TikTok strategy is already generating quite a bit of noise, since it could mean that For the first time in a long time, Instagram has a serious competitor with the potential to put it in trouble. After all, ByteDance's platform has deep roots among young people and teenagers, and its expansion beyond videos could be serious.
It is true that today TikTok already allows you to share photos in its main application. Any user can choose multiple images and publish them in a kind of carousel. The app, in fact, offers a “photo mode”, which allows you to manually move between photographs, and a “video mode” that automatically plays them as if they were a clip.
With the help of TikTok Photos, the platform could bring that experience to a standalone app to provide more possibilities than currently exist. Furthermore, it is a reality that the primary use of TikTok continues to be short-form video, which is what is most consumed.
TikTok Photos would be the 'Instagram of Tiktok'
Another interesting finding TheSPAndroid is that TikTok Photos would allow users sync photos you previously shared in the main app. Thus, at least, it is clear from a reference found in the code of the video platform. It also reveals that the launch of the new application would be very, very close.
“Sync your posts with TikTok Photos. […] “If the button is enabled, we will sync your public photos to the new app whether you close the pop-up or not,” the notice says.
It's not yet clear if, once TikTok Photos is available, the option to post images in the main TikTok app will be removed. We will have to wait until we have official news to really know how the platform will work.
As we said previously, TikTok launching its own Instagram clone would be a rather curious change in strategy. The Meta platform and YouTube have shamelessly copied some of the most important features of the ByteDance social network. Something that has been reflected especially in the Reels and Shorts. Will the photos be the terrain of revenge for the company of Chinese origin? We'll see.
While working on its new photography app, TikTok faces a rather complex panorama in the United States. There, the platform is at the center of the scene for the vote on a bill that seeks to block it, unless it cuts its ties with China. It will be interesting to see whether or not the outcome of this process impacts the development and launch of TikTok Photos.