TikTok pushes users to sister app Lemon8 ahead of possible ban

With the TikTok ban likely to take effect this weekend without the need for Supreme Court intervention, Lemon8, another ByteDance-owned app, has also risen in the Apple App Store rankings.

The app ranks second on the app store and appears to be an amalgamation of several other popular social media platforms. It has photos that can be uploaded as single images or photo carousels, like Instagram; videos that appeal to users' specific emotions and interests, like TikTok; and interfaces that allow users to interact with different types of content at the same time, like Pinterest.

“If you combine these three applications, it's Lemon8,” said Jessica Maddox, associate professor of digital media technology at the University of Alabama.

The law only mentions TikTok and its parent company ByteDance by name. However, it also said that any subsidiary of ByteDance could be banned under the same law. That means the ban could extend to Lemon8, but as of Monday, neither the company nor the U.S. government had addressed its future.

On TikTok, Lemon8 advertising appears to have increased in the lead-up to the ban. TikTok uses traditional advertising on its platform to urge users to download. TikTok also sends notifications to users advising them to download Lemon8.

Some of TikTok's major users post on the platform as if it were TikTok. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In short, Lemon8 appears to be waiting in the wings to take over if TikTok becomes unavailable immediately after the ban takes effect on Sunday.

Here's everything you need to know about Lemon8.

What is Lemon 8?

Maddox said Lemon8 is a “culture” platform with an interface inspired by various popular social media sites, including Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok.

When users open the app, the platform says it's “Powered by TikTok,” according to the login screen. It will also prompt users to log in with their TikTok account. Users will also be prompted to follow anyone they follow on TikTok who has an account on Lemon8.

Users can also select their interests and the content they want to see before entering the main feed, where they will see posts containing still images and videos. Once a user clicks on a post, they can view the comments section, which is an important aspect of inside jokes and humor on TikTok.

When was it released?

Lemon8 debuts in the US and UK in February 2023. First released in Japan in May 2020. There, it's called Sharee.

About a month after its U.S. release, Lemon8 was among the top 10 most downloaded apps in Apple's App Store, according to reports at the time. Usage surged after Congress questioned TikTok CEO Shou Chew about the platform's security.

What content is on the platform?

When people create an account on Lemon8, they are prompted to select their interests, which range from lifestyle and food to video games, music and movies.

Some of the content appears to have been copied and pasted from TikTok. For example, influencer Jasmine Chiswell, who became popular on TikTok for her fashion content and Marilyn Monroe-like style, posted a video on Lemon8 sharing “100 Years of Lipstick,” in which she shared a swatch of nude lipstick .

Chiswell shared the same video on TikTok in 2023, which received 1.5 million likes. On Lemon8, it has less than 10,000 likes.

Users can also share pictures. While TikTok has become a place where users can share static images, and there's been a huge trend surrounding the interface, sharing static images with no music and just text feels more akin to what's shown on Instagram than what's on TikTok.

Rather than seeing one piece of content displayed at a time on TikTok's “For You” page or Instagram's main feed, users see two lines of content that they must choose to view. The interface is similar to the TikTok search feature. It's also similar to the mobile version of Pinterest.

Will Lemon8 be banned under the new law banning TikTok?

The short answer is: yes.

said Eric Goldman, associate dean for research, professor of law and co-director of the High Technology Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law.

Goldman Sachs said that the way the law is written, it does not allow much wiggle room.

“As long as ByteDance is owned by a 'foreign adversary' as defined in the regulations, then its subsidiaries will be equally subject to the rules,” Goldman Sachs said. “So I don't think this is a very close case.”

He added: “I have issues with the ban. I have questions about its scope, but as with issues of legal interpretation, it doesn't seem that controversial.”

The law also allows the president to designate an app as owned by an alleged foreign adversary, so the app would face the same legal challenges as TikTok, including being banned, Goldman Sachs said.

But just because it can be banned doesn't mean it will be.

How many people use Lemon8?

According to the Associated Press, Lemon8 has slightly more than 1 million daily active users in the United States, according to research firm SameWeb. The company had 12.5 million monthly active users worldwide in December, according to the Associated Press.

Maddox, who started using the app last year, said she has noticed an influx of users recently.

“Every few days I get notifications from dozens of people following me on Lemon8,” she said. “There's a huge push now, and I wonder if it's going to change what the algorithms are pushing.”

Since Lemon8 has a significantly smaller user base than TikTok, ByteDance may be hoping the app can pass possible censorship without being noticed.