If the river makes noise, it is because the water is flowing. We have been hearing for a long time that TikTok is preparing an application to stand up to (more) Instagram, which is a completely photo-focused, image-sharing application. It became official today. TikTok has already won the “vertical short video” format and now it’s going to take photos with Tiktok Notes, an application that has already been started It’s in Canada and Australia, and we know what it’s going to be like eventually.

More Pinterest than Instagram. The app, which is independent of TikTok and is currently available on the Google Play Store and App Store, offers an interface that is very reminiscent of Pinterest, something that gives us a clue as to where the app is pointing: discovery and lifestyle. In fact, TikTok itself does not classify it as a social network, but rather as:

“TikTok Notes is a lifestyle platform that offers informative phototext content about people’s lives, where you can see people sharing travel tips, daily recipes…”

TikTok Notes Screenshots | Image: Google Play Store

How’s this going? As the main application, TikTok Notes offers us two tabs: “For you” and “Following”. In the first one, featured posts that may be of interest to us will appear (thanks to the algorithm that makes TikTok so popular). In the second one, we will see the content of the people we follow, but if it is like TikTok, its use is expected to be a reference.

What’s up? Photos, photos and photos. We can add one or more images, a title and a more or less short description to a post, as the company shows in the Google Play screenshots. Therefore, it is a social network where the image dominates and the text remains as support. With the advent of influencers it will certainly become more professional, just like any social network, but its use aims to be more casual, more focused on sharing without too much pretension.

When it comes to interactions, the classics are: likes, saves, and comments. Interestingly, it does not seem possible for us to re-share content with our followers as TikTok allows.

TikTok Notes Screenshots | Image: Google Play Store

This reminds me of Xiaohongshu. Probably no one said it, but the truth is yes. There is an application that has made a splash among young users in China and has managed to challenge TikTok: Xiaohongshu. This social network is focused on sharing plans, trips, restaurants or in other words lifestyle. If we look at its interface and keep our distance, we are looking at TikTok’s Xiaohongshu for the Western market. And beware: This app is completely taking China by storm.

Xiaohongshu “Discover” Section | Image: Xataka.

In tests. Currently the application has been launched in Canada and Australia for a group of users. The APK can be downloaded, but we may not be able to access it as it does not appear to be available to all users, even with a VPN. In any case, although the application should solve some problems for the European Union, it is expected to reach all markets as soon as possible.

A TikTok Notes account. As TikTok told users a few days ago, photos published on TikTok will automatically appear in TikTok Notes. The thing is that in the European Union, the DMA must be respected, which means that TikTok will definitely not have an easy time transferring photos, names, information and accounts already published by European users to another application. Tell Threads.

Pictures | Xataka, Google Play

in Xataka | TikTok is becoming the “old man’s” app in China. What is popular among young people is Xiaohongshu