After hints of it had been noticed floating round in the primary app over the previous couple of weeks, TikTok has now formally launched its new, devoted photo-sharing app, known as “TikTok Notes”, with customers in Australia and Canada capable of obtain the separate picture app.

As you possibly can see in these pictures, TikTok Notes is a fundamental photo-sharing app, with pictures and their descriptions as you possibly can already discover on TikTok, however gathered into their very own house.

As defined by TikTok:

“We hope that the TikTok group will use TikTok Notes to proceed sharing their moments by picture posts. Whether or not documenting adventures, expressing creativity, or just sharing snapshots of 1’s day, the TikTok Notes expertise is designed for many who wish to share and interact by picture content material.”

The app format is paying homage to Pinterest, whereas additionally bearing similarities to TikTok’s eCommerce app “Lemon8”, which it launched final yr.

In reality, it seems to be nearly precisely like Lemon8, with out the product focus.

As you possibly can see in these pictures, it’s a kind of staggered tile show of pictures from TikTok, with plenty of them not likely making as a lot sense with out the broader context of TikTok’s video feed, although that’ll ideally change over time, as customers put up extra to the app particularly.

Consumer profiles additionally look quite a bit like TikTok, with the identical fundamental format, together with some cool neon coloured icons.

By way of posting, you possibly can add as much as 34 pictures to a single put up, with the images introduced as a side-scrolling, carousel-like assortment. You even have a 4,000 character caption restrict, together with a title part.

Which is one thing, I suppose, although proper now, it’s a reasonably bland app, like TikTok, however with out the essential ingredient that makes TikTok compelling, being quick movies.

Like, does anybody actually need this?

I suppose, for TikTok, it’s trying to department out into new areas, and experimenting with extra codecs and choices with a purpose to probably capitalize on new alternatives.

It additionally follows the success of Tencent-backed Xiaohongshu in China, which is actually an area model of Instagram. That’s seen an enormous rise within the Chinese language market, which has additionally expanded into eCommerce alternatives.

Seemingly, TikTok’s hoping to copy that with Notes in Western markets. However in Western markets, we have already got Instagram, so the the technique is just not completely clear.

In any occasion, it’s one other experiment, which TikTok shall be hoping to make use of to broaden its footprint.

Will it work? Most likely not, however perhaps it catches on, and supplies a brand new outlet for creators.