Introducing TikTok Notes - A New Photo Sharing App

Earlier this month, TikTok announced a new photo sharing app through a push notification sent to users. At the time, they didn't provide many details about the app other than calling it TikTok Notes and suggesting TikTok could populate it with users' existing and future public TikTok posts, unless they opt out.

TikTok Notes is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store for users to download in Canada and Australia, where they're doing limited testing for now.

The company that owns TikTok, ByteDance, said on Twitter that they're in the early stages of launching the app and that it's meant as a special space just for photo and text content.

"We're experimenting in the early stages with a dedicated space for photo and text content within TikTok Notes," the company wrote in an update on Twitter that I saw, last Thursday (April 18th, 2024).

"We hope the TikTok community utilizes TikTok Notes to continue sharing their moments through photo posts. Whether it's documenting adventures, expressing creativity, or just sharing snippets of your days, the TikTok Notes experience is designed for those wanting to share and engage through photo content," they added.

TikTok Notes doesn't just talk about the app's features and functions, besides the fact that users can log in with their existing TikTok accounts. Even the app descriptions on both platforms' stores provide quite a lot of detail.

"TikTok Notes is a lifestyle app that offers photo and informative text content about people's lives, where users can see individuals sharing travel tips and daily recipes," reads the description in the App Store and Play Store.

An announcement post on Twitter about the launch, as well as listings on the App Store and Google Play, showcase some official app screenshots that provide insights into how it works for non-users.

Within them, it shows that TikTok users can write captions for the photos above their texts, which is an original feature not offered on Instagram.

It's an interesting moment for TikTok to try leveraging Instagram's core feature. Having an app focused on photos gives TikTok users a new place to share non-video content and potentially reach existing audiences.

The company is also facing potential bans of its main app or protracted legal disputes in the United States, so having an alternative app could help TikTok retain its users in that country if needed. Many will be keeping an eye on how TikTok Notes develops further and if it catches on.

Getting To Know the Layout of TikTok Notes

The home feed also seems divided into two sections, with a separate page where users can see posts from accounts they follow and another "For You" page. It's laid out like a Pinterest homepage but with a smaller two-column grid setup.

However, it's not clear whose posts are being featured here, but most likely accounts similar to who the user follows on TikTok and may like. Still, it remains uncertain when exactly TikTok plans to roll out the TikTok Notes feature to other countries.

Apart from these small changes, the app is fairly similar to Instagram, which is a change from the norm. Over the years, Meta has replicated other social media platforms like TikTok with Reels and Snapchat with Stories. But with TikTok Notes, it seems TikTok is doing some copying of its own this time around. 

How TikTok Notes Could Benefit Creators

This is also happening at a time when many Instagram users are feeling frustrated with Meta about the reach of their feed posts. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri regularly replies to frustrated creators in threads about why their feed posts seem to not reach as many followers as usual.

Should TikTok Notes officially launch globally, these creators may have a worthy alternative for posting photos that helps them connect with their audience more reliably. Many will be interested to see how the engagement on TikTok Notes compares once it's fully publicly available. Only time will tell if it takes off, but the first signs are promising for those looking for another photo sharing option.