RedNote app soars to top of US charts as TikTok ban looms
With TikTok’s ban in the United States looming, the Chinese platform RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu) has become the most downloaded app on Apple’s US store as people look for an alternative.
It was on Monday when the TikTok competitor topped the App Store charts, with 63,000 posts on the topic ‘TikTok refugee.’
The app is predominantly popular with young people in China, Taiwan, and other Mandarin-speaking populations with around 300 million monthly users. When signing up, the app’s terms and conditions are written in Mandarin.
According to the BBC, it’s mostly “young urban women” who are using the platform and it allows them to “exchange lifestyle tips from dating to fashion.”
A fashion designer from Virginia, named Marcus Robinson, told the publisher that he created his RedNote account over the weekend to share his clothing brand and “be ahead of the curve.”
When discussing the terms and conditions of the app, he said: “I wasn’t able to actually read them so that was a little concerning to me, but I took my chance.”
TikTok has just days before the law is enacted on Sunday (January 19) which will ban the app and its operations in the United States due to national safety concerns.
What is RedNote?On the Google Play Store, the RedNote app is described as being a “dynamic lifestyle platform for young people to share experiences, explore a real, beautiful, and diverse world, and find the lifestyle they desire.”
The app, which launched in 2013, focuses on diving into the latest trends and hobbies. Its Chinese name is Xiaohongshu and it translates to ‘little red book’ in English.
The app is growing in popularity as TikTok’s end in the United States closes in, with RedNote also enabling users to discover, research and purchase products directly through the site.
The platform combines social and e-commerce, much like ByteDance’s TikTok currently does. It also utilizes livestreaming elements, as well as videos.
Featured Image: Screenshot via Apple App Store, created on Canva
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