TikTok Notes is the new competitor to Instagram. What is the app and how does it work?

TikTok quietly launched its Instagram rival, Notes, in Australia and Canada on Thursday, testing out a new app dedicated to still images and text.

A TikTok spokesperson said Notes is “a dedicated space” for photo and text content, and a way for users to “create and share their creativity”.

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It’s not clear why Australia and Canada were first to launch, but generally tech companies often roll out new features or services to like-minded western countries with smaller populations to test them out before a broader rollout in places like the UK and the US, or where regulation of apps is stricter, like the EU.

Meta’s habit of adopting the features of its competitors from Snapchat to TikTok in Instagram has so far been a success for the company.

The Guardian reported that in 2023, Instagram overtook TikTok in terms of app downloads, off the back of the success of its TikTok-clone Reels.