What Is Lemon8 and What Are Its Links With Under-Fire TikTok
- Newer app from owner of TikTok is gaining popularity in the US
- The Lemon8 app combines elements of Pinterest and Instagram
Information about the app is murky, though regulatory filings and various media reports suggest it is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.
Photographer: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images
While political scrutiny continues to intensify on the widely popular short video app TikTok in the US and across the world, another owned by the same Chinese company, ByteDance Ltd., is going viral. As downloads of Lemon8 surge in the US, here’s what you need to know about it:
Marketing itself as a “content sharing platform with a youthful community,” the app lets users make longer blog-like posts about topics such as fashion, fitness, travel and cooking, accompanied by relevant pictures and videos. Users can also access a customized feed of posts based on what they like and other creators they follow. Unlike TikTok, which features a rolling scroll of short videos, the app is more akin to a mishmash of Instagram and Pinterest. Its downloads have surged in the US, with the app jumping past Pinterest, dating service Tinder and real estate platform Zillow to become the top lifestyle app downloaded by iPhone users.