Lemon8, a social app owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance, made it into the top 10 most downloaded apps on the US App Store this week. Beijing-headquartered ByteDance launched Lemon8 in the US market in February 2023; the app was initially released in Japan in 2020. Lemon8 is a platform for sharing videos and photos related to food, beauty, wellness, and travel. It can be described as a combination of Pinterest and Instagram. Lemon8’s sudden rise comes after TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew faced questioning over the short video app’s data security from the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 24. With TikTok potentially facing a total ban in the US if its Chinese owners refuse to sell their stakes, Lemon8 could serve as something of a back-up plan for ByteDance. According to data analysis platform data.ai, Lemon8’s sudden surge in popularity was likely the result of paid user acquisition efforts by ByteDance. [Baijing, in Chinese]
ByteDance-owned Lemon8 hits top 10 on US App Store
