Chinese-made social media apps Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 have soared to the top two spots on Apple’s iPhone download charts in the U.S., as users look for alternatives to TikTok ahead of an imminent ban stateside.
This week, Xiaohongshu (also known as Red Note) became the most-downloaded free app on iOS and rose to the top 10 on the Google Play store. Several new users have labeled themselves as “TikTok refugees” when they joined. Xiaohongshu was founded in 2013.
Lemon8 was launched as a competitor to Xiaohongshu and is owned by ByteDance, which also owns TikTok. Bloomberg reported that Lemon8 downloads across iOS and Android tripled last week, and it was briefly the most-downloaded free iPhone app on Monday, before landing in the second-highest spot.
TikTok has until January 19 to find an American buyer to continue operating in the country, under the direction of an upcoming Supreme Court ruling.
Unless the policy is reversed by President-elect Donald Trump, TikTok will be breaching the law within a week.
Government authorities in the U.S. and other countries have been concerned that the Chinese government could use TikTok to access user data, including browsing histories and location. There are also concerns that China is able to utilize the popular video and social media platform to spread false information among TikTok’s 170 million users in the states.
Xiaohongshu is a Chinese social media platform similar to Instagram, with users able to post photos, videos, captions and life updates. There are also new features allowing for livestreaming and e-commerce opportunities. The platform is widely used by Chinese-speaking communities overseas.
A stream of new users posting English-language content appeared on Xiaohongshu this week, with the #tiktokrefugee hashtag garnering more than 25M views.