ByteDance Rushes to Promote Lemon8 as TikTok's US Ban Deadline Looms
ByteDance is rapidly directing TikTok users to its Instagram-like platform Lemon8 as the TikTok ban in the US approaches. The company has integrated both apps, allowing TikTok users to automatically sign in to Lemon8 using their existing credentials and transfer their followers.
Hand holding smartphone displaying Lemon8 app
Key developments:
- ByteDance is running sponsored posts on TikTok promoting Lemon8 as an alternative
- TikTok usernames and data now automatically sync with Lemon8
- Lemon8's daily active users have doubled to over 1 million since October 2024
- The app resembles Pinterest and Instagram in functionality
However, this strategy faces a significant obstacle: The new law targets all ByteDance-owned apps, not just TikTok. This means Lemon8, along with other ByteDance properties like CapCut, SoundOn, Gauth, and Hypic, could also face restrictions under the ban.
Despite this challenge, ByteDance began integrating Lemon8 and TikTok in November 2024, with user profiles now automatically linked between both platforms. The company appears to be betting that regulators will focus primarily on TikTok rather than its smaller sister apps.
While Lemon8's user base remains modest compared to TikTok's massive following, its recent growth suggests ByteDance's strategy might be gaining traction among users seeking alternatives ahead of the potential ban.
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