TikTok's answer to Instagram, Notes, is rolling out

TikTok's not usually one to copy features from its competitors; in fact, it's been the other way around for a while now. But the video app's answer to photo sharing apps like Instagram is here, with TikTok Notes rolling out in select countries.

After several leaks heralding the arrival of the app, TikTok Notes is now available in Australia and Canada for "limited testing" according to the company. It's a separate, free photo sharing app run by TikTok where users can share photos with written captions and browse a central feed of posts by people they follow. Of course, users can link their TikTok accounts to Notes to log in.

In the app description, TikTok describes Notes as "a lifestyle platform that offers informative photo-text content about people's lives, where you can see individuals sharing their travel tips, daily recipes."

"We're in the early stages of experimenting with a dedicated space for photo and text content with TikTok Notes," the company wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

"We hope that the TikTok community will use TikTok Notes to continue sharing their moments through photo posts," the thread continued. "Whether documenting adventures, expressing creativity, or simply sharing snapshots of one's day, the TikTok Notes experience is designed for those who would like to share and engage through photo content."

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While the posts themselves resemble Instagram's post and caption format, the central feed where users can "discover" posts also looks like Pinterest or TikTok's own search feed.

It's an interesting move for TikTok, directly imitating a competitor like Instagram and moving into the photo sharing space when its foothold in video is so firmly wedged. However, in a time where TikTok's future in the U.S. remains unclear, there's no time like the present for the company to expand horizons with newfangled platforms.