While Instagram is known for copying competitors’ features, it’s TikTok now copying Instagram with its new “Whee” app.
TikTok parent company ByteDance reportedly launched a new photo-sharing app called Whee, as spotted by APKMirror founder Artem Russakovskii.
Am I the first one to report this? Bytedance, the developer of Tiktok, is testing a new app called Whee. It’s currently not available in the US but it is live in over a dozen countries.https://t.co/iNVQlVQ5C2https://t.co/n9rKnrHovE
— Artem Russakovskii (@ArtemR) June 18, 2024
“Whee is a new social app created to keep you connected with your close friends through life’s spontaneous moments,” reads the app’s Google Play Store listing, which Russakovskii shared. “Capture and share real-life photos that only your friends can see, allowing you to be your most authentic self. Whee is the best place for close friends to share life moments.”
Screenshots included on the Google Play Store page also show a similar user interface to that of Instagram, including a messaging feature, likes and comments on posts, and a camera viewfinder that offers filters. These are basic features to be sure, but they show an overall similarity between Whee and Meta-owned Instagram.
Whee is available in “over a dozen countries,” according to Russakovskii, though it is not yet live in the United States at the time of publication. The developer is listed as TikTok Pte. Ltd., which also lists TikTok and other related apps. So far, Whee has only been downloaded just over 1,000 times, compared to the main TikTok app’s more than 1 billion downloads on the Play Store. It’s unclear how TikTok or ByteDance will push the app or if it’s just another experiment from a social media company trying to keep its competitive edge.
Further, this isn’t even TikTok’s first attempt at mimicking Instagram.
“In April, the company started rolling out an image-sharing app called TikTok Notes,” The Verge reports.
At the time, the social media company announced “TikTok Notes is available for download and limited testing in Australia and Canada,” in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Over the last few months, TikTok hasn’t taken off or seen much of a push from the larger company either. It remains to be seen how the platform will continue either app and whether it will continue with two separate entities that seem to do the same things.
It’s also important to note that TikTok’s attempt to recreate some of Instagram’s appeal is not one-sided. Instagram has borrowed features from TikTok as well, most notably its short-form video posts “Reels.”
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.