TIkTok is pulling the plug on TikTok Now, its BeReal clone, just over nine months after it was first introduced.
Many users posted screenshots of a message they received, stating that ByteDance is “updating the TikTok experience and [is] disrupting TikTok Now.
Related | TikTok begins testing Tako, its AI chatbot
TikTok Now launched in September 2022 with the goal of developing “authentic, spontaneous connections on TikTok.” The truth, however, is more likely that TikTok took notice of the viral sensation of BeReal and its new format (users had to capture a moment once a day using their phones’ front and back cameras) and wanted to take their share of profit. movement.
With TikTok Now, however, users could upload videos, up to 10 seconds long, instead of simple photos, which made the feature somewhat more interesting than its counterpart. In the United States, TikTok Now was available within the TikTok app while some other regions accessed the feature via a separate app.
Related | YouTube adds AI-powered dubbing
TikTok has not given a specific reason for shutting down TikTok now. But it’s easy to see that the format never really took off on the app. Furthermore, BeReal itself has also lost popularity in recent months, facing a 61% decline in daily active users between October 2022 and March 2023 according to third-party data.
In recent years, the social media giants that are Meta, Twitter and TikTok have often copied features from future platforms, incorporating them into their main app, before pulling the plug on them, more or less. Who will remember Meerkat, Periscope, Clubhouse and BeReal?
TikTok has not commented on the shutdown, but the support page for TikTok Now has been removed.
