Chinese short-video service TikTok is set to shut down its TikTok Notes section on May 8. The photo-sharing app launched in beta testing in Canada, Australia, and Vietnam last year, and was similar in many ways to Instagram
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TikTok Notes users were notified that the platform’s administration had decided to shut down the app, and were referred to Lemon8, a service also owned by ByteDance that offers similar features. “We’re excited to bring reviews from TikTok Notes to Lemon8 and continue to create a special space for our community of photo-sharing and viewing that complements and enhances the TikTok experience,” a TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch.
The platform’s administration did not provide a specific reason for the app’s closure, but it is likely that TikTok Notes failed to gain a large enough audience, and the company decided to promote Lemon8, which had 12.5 million active users worldwide as of December 2024. The decision to close TikTok Notes “was not an easy one,” the app’s users were told — they were advised to download and save their content, and then “continue sharing your creativity on Lemon8,” which has more features.
TikTok has been pointing to Lemon8 as an alternative to TikTok Notes, but ByteDance’s actions suggest that the app could become an alternative to TikTok as a whole, as the platform is still under threat of being banned in the US. Lemon8 debuted in Japan in 2020 and has since spread across the US and Southeast Asia. It resembles Instagram and Pinterest at once, allowing you to post slideshows and photo collections, as well as view content in the Subscriptions and For You feeds. Lemon8 features a set of creative tools, filters, effects, text templates, and more. In November last year, Lemon8 opened access to TikTok accounts, as well as the ability to cross-post between apps — this was done in case TikTok is banned in the US, which, according to the latest information, could happen as early as April 5.