Lemon8 is a social media app owned by ByteDance. First launched in 2020, it has been likened to Xiaohongshu.
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| Developer(s) | ByteDance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial release | May 2020 | ||||
| Stable release(s) | |||||
| |||||
| Available in | 6 languages | ||||
List of languages English, Indonesian, Japanese, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese | |||||
| Type | Video sharing | ||||
| License | Proprietary | ||||
| Website | lemon8-app | ||||
History
editThe app was first launched in Japan in May 2020[1] and hit 1 million downloads in March 2022.[2] It launched in the United States and United Kingdom in February 2023 following restrictions on TikTok in the United States,[3] resulting in it becoming one of the most-downloaded apps on the US App Store a month later.[4] The app is listed under the Singapore-based Heliophilia Pte Ltd.[5]
Content
editContent on the app has been described as "a cross between Instagram and Pinterest".[6]
Reception
editUS lawmakers have expressed concerns with Lemon8 due to its connection with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. Lindsay Gorman has stated "it has to do with gathering information on users and it has the same ownership structure, being a child of ByteDance, so I think the same issues are going to come up".[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Maheshwari, Sapna; Kircher, Madison Malone (2023-03-29). "TikTok's Owner Pushes a New App, While Under Washington's Glare". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ Xiang, Chloe (2023-02-23). "TikTok Parent Launches Xiaohongshu Competitor Lemon8 in US". VICE. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ Lorenz, Taylor (2023-04-01). "Lemon8 is a Chinese-owned app. Can it survive the hype cycle?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ Cuthbertson, Anthony (2023-03-29). "Lemon8: TikTok parent company's latest app hits top 10 in US charts". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ De Wei, Low (2023-03-31). "What Is Lemon8 and What Are Its Links With Under-Fire TikTok". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ Whateley, Dan; Biino, Marta (2023-03-31). "With TikTok's future in limbo, its owner is hiring a team in New York to woo creators for a new app". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-04-03.