ByteDance Rushes to Push TikTok Users to Lemon8 as US Ban Deadline Approaches
ByteDance is actively promoting Lemon8 as TikTok users face an impending US ban in 10 days. The company is integrating the two platforms and encouraging users to transition to this Instagram-like alternative.
Hand holding smartphone displaying Lemon8 app
Key developments in ByteDance's strategy:
- TikTok is displaying sponsored posts promoting Lemon8
- Users can sign in to Lemon8 using TikTok credentials
- Automatic follower transfer between platforms
- TikTok usernames will work on Lemon8
- Lemon8 profile links appear on TikTok profiles by default
Current Lemon8 statistics:
- Over 1 million daily active users since October 2024
- Double the user engagement compared to previous year
- Still significantly smaller than TikTok's user base
Important note: The new law signed by President Biden targets all ByteDance-owned apps, not just TikTok. This includes:
- Lemon8
- Gauth
- SoundOn
- CapCut
- Hypic
While ByteDance hopes regulators will focus solely on TikTok, the legislation's broad scope may affect their strategy of redirecting users to Lemon8 as an alternative platform.
The company began integrating Lemon8 and TikTok in November 2024, with data sharing between the platforms and unified user profiles. However, the effectiveness of this transition strategy remains uncertain given the comprehensive nature of the ByteDance app ban.
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