TikTok is nearing the launch of a rival to Instagram

TikTok is gearing up to introduce a brand-new photo-sharing app, setting the stage for a direct competition with Instagram. In a recent notice dispatched to its users, TikTok unveiled plans for a forthcoming app dedicated to photo posts, dubbed "TikTok Notes," as initially spotlighted by TechCrunch.

The announcement detailed that "TikTok Notes" would aggregate "existing and future public TikTok photo posts," while simultaneously affording users the discretion to opt out. An ephemeral sighting of a new web address, photo.tiktok.com (an archived variant), caught by TechCrunch, hinted at the app's interface, showcasing a feature to append captions to photos.

TikTok communicated to TechCrunch its ambition to "explore ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text," though it stopped short of declaring a specific launch date for the app. Upon querying TikTok for further details, The Verge awaited a response.

Speculation concerning a TikTok-operated photo-sharing application first emerged last month, following a revelation by TheSpAndroid, which unearthed suggestive coding within TikTok, hinting at a project titled "TikTok Photos."

This move by TikTok, progressively edging towards the unveiling of TikTok Notes, readies it as quite the contender to Instagram. Especially given the strategy to preload the app with users' pre-existing photo shares, ensuring a robust initial user base, presupposed a broad opt-in consent.