A new social media app called Lemon8 is gaining popularity ahead of a possible ban on its sister platform, TikTok. Owned by ByteDance, the same Chinese company that runs TikTok, Lemon8 uses the same algorithm and has become the No. 1 free app on Apple’s App Store.
The US Supreme Court will decide the fate of a law that could ban both TikTok and Lemon8 in January. If passed, the law would restrict companies owned by foreign adversaries from allowing users to share content. Since Lemon8 is also used to generate and share similar content, its future is uncertain.
Lemon8 offers photo slideshows similar to Pinterest or Instagram, making it a unique alternative to TikTok’s short video platform. Its growth in popularity suggests that ByteDance is willing to introduce new apps like Lemon8 to maintain business despite potential bans.
In April, Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which gives ByteDance until January 19 to sell TikTok. If a sale doesn’t take place, TikTok will be banned in the US. The law would also apply to Lemon8 if it’s not sold or transferred.
As the Supreme Court weighs its appeal against the ban, experts believe that Lemon8’s success indicates ByteDance’s willingness to introduce new apps to mitigate potential losses.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-ban-lemon8-top-app-apple-app-store-2025-1