ByteDance's lifestyle app Lemon8 gains popularity in US as TikTok faces possible ban
Lemon8, a social app owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, is seeing an increase in popularity in the US at a time when the company's flagship short video platform TikTok faces a potential ban.
The app, described as a cross between Instagram and Pinterest, has been the most downloaded lifestyle app for iOS devices in the US since the first day of the month, according to app intelligence firm Data.ai.
Since September 2, it has broken into the top 20 list of all iOS apps - except for September 6 and 7 - compared with a ranking below 30 in the previous two months.
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Among Android devices, Lemon8 has ranked among the top seven lifestyle apps since September 4, compared with a ranking between 10th and 20th in the previous two months, Data.ai information showed.
Launched in 2020, ByteDance has actively promoted the new platform to its TikTok user base. Photo: Shutterstock Images alt=Launched in 2020, ByteDance has actively promoted the new platform to its TikTok user base. Photo: Shutterstock Images>
Launched in 2020, ByteDance has actively promoted the new platform to its TikTok user base, to the extent that it caused a backlash. In August, TikTok user Mia Marquis posted a video complaining that she was "tired of getting those Lemon8 ads". The post received nearly 400 comments and 400,000 views, with most people echoing her opinion.
Downloads of Lemon8 worldwide were estimated to be 78,000 on Saturday, about 44 per cent higher than its average over the last few weeks, TechCrunch reported, citing data from app tracker Appfigures.
ByteDance was paying TikTok influencers to promote the lesser-known app, the New York Post reported in March. A search on TikTok on Thursday found dozens of posts endorsing Lemon8 in recent weeks.
The fast-emerging app is seen as an alternative presence in the US for ByteDance if TikTok has to quit the market due to national security concerns. In April, US President Joe Biden signed a law that requires ByteDance to divest TikTok within 270 days, or by January 19, 2025, otherwise it faces a ban from app stores in the US.
Earlier this week, a US federal court heard oral arguments in a court case brought by ByteDance against the ban, citing a breach of First Amendment rights. TikTok's lawyer Andrew Pincus said the law "imposes extraordinary speech prohibition based on indeterminate future risks", while Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, head of the panel, noted that TikTok remained "subject to Chinese control". Both sides asked the court for a ruling by December 6.
ByteDance has said that a divestment of TikTok would be impossible. "The Chinese government regulates the transfer of technologies developed in China," the company said in a legal brief filed to the court in June. "The Chinese government has made it clear in public statements that it would not permit a forced divestment of [TikTok's] recommendation engine."
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