KUALA LUMPUR — American TikTok users are signing up on Chinese short video app RedNote ahead of a proposed US ban on the ByteDance-owned platform.
Reuters reports more than half a million “TikTok refugees” have downloaded the app in the US, where it topped download rankings this week.
UK’s The Guardian, citing a source with RedNote, said more than 700,000 new users had joined the app in just two days.
In the lead up to the Jan 19 deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US operations or face a nationwide ban, US downloads of RedNote were up more than 200% year-over-year this week, and 194% from the week before, according to The Guardian, citing app data research firm Sensor Tower.
Known as Xiaohongshu in China which translates to “small red book”, the company has not made any official response as yet.
RedNote sources were reported saying that the company is now “scrambling” to find ways to moderate English-language content and build translation tools.
The mass migration saw a live chat room opened on RedNote on Monday, called “TikTok Refugees” which was joined by more than 50,000 people. The chatter focused on welcoming the American newcomers and exchange of notes between Chinese and US users on various topics.
RedNote was founded in 2014 and with over 300 million users, was recently valuated at US$17 billion.
Users are able to curate photos, videos and text, besides using it as search engine primarily for travel tips, beauty advice and food searches. It is also an e-commerce hub for online sellers.
Unlike TikTok which has the Duoyin equivalent within China, the RedNote app is in only one version. – January 15, 2025