As TikTok may be nearing its end, another very similar app is topping the charts. RedNote, also known by its Chinese name Xiaohongshu, is currently number one on the Apple App Store, as many TikTok users are looking for a new place to share and view their content.
At first, the app may not appear to be anything when you first pull it up in the store. That’s because it’s written in the Chinese writing script, Hànzì. But once you click on it, you’ll see that it has English capability.
We’ve seen this type of movement before as one popular social media undergoes a major change, or in this case, a possible deletion. Threads became the new Twitter (or X) and then there is Bluesky, another bird app alternative. Mastodon was a similar opponent to Instagram, but that never was able to topple the Meta giant.
We’ll see if RedNote has any staying power. That is, among the recent surge in sign-ups. The app has been around since 2013 and is among the most popular in China.
A TikTok Ban Is Coming to the US, So Americans Are Downloading the Chinese Version
Early reviews from newly-acquired users suggest there’s hope as it registers a 4.9 out of 5 stars. One of the top comments says it’s “like Pinterest and Instagram but better.” Another comment, albeit from two years ago, called out the app for its spelling errors in the English version. So we’ll see if RedNote’s influx of users sticks around long enough. Then again, users may not have a choice.
If you’ve been living under a rock, TikTok is facing extinction as soon as Jan. 19. If the Supreme Court upholds the law and ByteDance, the Chinese-based owner, doesn’t sell off its U.S. operation, the app will be shutting down.
Who knows how long that could take? I can’t imagine the app is just, poof, gone, but we shall see. Then again, other countries like India have banned the app, and users who open the app get an alert that says it is no longer available. Some suitors are willing to buy the U.S. sector of the app, though, which could save the app if ByteDance opts for that route.
The post Chinese App RedNote Hits #1 in App Store As US TikTok Ban Nears appeared first on VICE.
