TikTok’s parent has a new app: What to know about Lemon8

By HALELUYA HADERO
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — As lawmakers debate whether to ban TikTok nationwide, its Chinese parent company has stealthily introduced a new app that’s already getting some traction. The app, called Lemon8, is a photo-based app that could be described as a mixture of Instagram and Pinterest with sprinkles of videos that resemble those posted on TikTok. It launched in Asian markets in 2020 and has already made headway in countries like Thailand and Japan. The app was introduced in the U.S. in February with little fanfare. But media attention and promotion by some TikTok influencers has already attracted user interest. The app analytics company data.ai says as of Sunday, Lemon8 had 290,000 downloads in the U.S., the vast majority of which happened in late March.