TikTok has announced that it will be shutting down its Instagram competitor, TikTok Notes, on May 8. The photo-sharing app, which was launched in testing in Canada, Australia, and Vietnam last year, will be discontinued, and users will be directed to Lemon8, another ByteDance-owned app that offers similar functionality.

The decision to retire TikTok Notes comes as no surprise, given the similarities between the two apps. A TikTok spokesperson stated that the company is "excited to bring the feedback from TikTok Notes to Lemon8 as we continue building a dedicated space for our community to share and experience photo content, designed to complement and enhance the TikTok experience." While the company didn't provide a specific reason for shutting down the app, it's likely that the lack of adoption played a significant role in the decision.

Lemon8, which had around 12.5 million global monthly active users as of December 2024, offers users a similar experience to TikTok Notes, but with additional features. The app allows users to share slideshows, photo collections, and browse content through "Following" and "For You" feeds, similar to Instagram and Pinterest. Lemon8 also provides access to creative tools, filters, effects, stickers, text templates, and more.

In a notice to TikTok Notes users, the company encouraged users to download and save their data and "continue sharing your creativity on Lemon8." The notice acknowledged that the decision to shut down the app "was not made lightly," but emphasized that Lemon8 offers a similar experience with even more features.

This move is seen as a strategic decision by ByteDance to focus on a single photo-sharing app, rather than dividing its resources between two similar platforms. The company has been positioning Lemon8 as an alternative to TikTok itself, particularly in the face of a potential U.S. ban. Last November, ByteDance made it possible for users to directly access Lemon8 with their TikTok accounts and rolled out the ability for users to cross-share photo content between the apps.

The promotion of Lemon8 comes as TikTok faces a new ban deadline of April 5. By pushing users towards Lemon8, ByteDance is likely trying to ensure that its users have an alternative platform to migrate to in case TikTok is banned in the U.S. This move could help the company to mitigate the impact of a potential ban and retain its user base.

The shutdown of TikTok Notes highlights the competitive landscape of the social media industry, where companies are constantly innovating and adapting to changing user behaviors. As the industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how ByteDance's strategy plays out and how users respond to the shift towards Lemon8.