The fight to win over more users is on between TikTok and Instagram. In March, it was uncovered that TikTok was working on a rival to Instagram, and now it has a name: TikTok Notes.
The new name started to pop up as some users received notifications announcing photo posts would be shown on TikTok Notes. The notification states users can opt out, according to images shared on social media.
No release date has been announced for TikTok Notes yet, but TikTok did confirm the existence of TikTok Notes to TechCrunch in a statement.
According to the statement, TikTok is “exploring ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text in dedicated space for those formats.”
TikTok’s expected launch of its new app follows Instagram recently launched “Reels,” a short-form video feature, similar to TikTok’s scrolling feed.
Meta and ByteDance — the parent companies of Instagram and TikTok, respectively — are in a battle for users.
In 2023, Instagram overtook TikTok as the app with the most new downloads. TikTok still trails Instagram with 1.12 billion users compared to Instagram’s 1.47 billion users.
TikTok is still seeing growth despite efforts in Congress to ban the platform. The Pew Research Center also found that a third of American adults use TikTok, and although Instagram has more users, those on TikTok spend more time on the platform.