TikTok is experimenting with yet another app as it looks to expand engagement opportunities and capitalize on broader usage trends.
TikTok's latest app experiment is called Whee, an Instagram-like feed of images designed for sharing only with friends.
As the TikTok description states:
“Whee is a new social app created to keep you connected with your closest friends through life's natural moments. Be your most authentic self by taking and sharing real photos that only your friends can see. Whee is the best place for your closest friends to share life's moments.“
But wait, didn't TikTok already release a still image-based app?
Yes, it is.
In April, TikTok released another app called “Notes,” which is also a photo-sharing app.
The app is similar to Instagram, but even more so to another TikTok app, Lemon8. it is Released last year.
Lemon8 is focused on products and promotions, so the use cases are different than Whee and Notes.
So what's the difference between Whee and Notes, and why is TikTok so committed to facilitating image sharing alongside its main short-form video app?
The difference is that Whee seems to be solely focused on sharing with friends, while Notes is an app aimed at a wider audience.
Notes is described in the App Store as:
“TikTok Notes is a lifestyle platform that provides informative photo and text content about people's lives. You'll see people sharing travel tips, daily recipes, and more.”
So, it's not a closed sharing, it's an open sharing platform like IG for visual content.
As for why images were chosen, it is probably related to trends in the Chinese market.
Backed by Tencent Little Red BookAnother Instagram clone, has seen significant growth in the Chinese market recently, with growing e-commerce opportunities.
Apparently TikTok wants to replicate something similar with Notes in Western markets, but Whee will lean more towards private sharing, giving users more ways to share product images, and provide further research insight into TikTok's ad targeting?
I don't know, but TikTok's main focus is e-commerce, so it seems like it needs to be tied to that somehow.
Either way, it seems like an odd launch considering people already do most of this kind of activity on Instagram and Snapchat.
But TikTok is trying it out anyway, and it will be interesting to see if and how they try to lure users to their new visual app.
