• by Colin Kirkland , November 12, 2024

TikTok users will now be able to use their accounts to directly access the ByteDance-owned photo-sharing app Lemon8, providing users and creators with another way to share content, especially as TikTok's potential U.S. ban -- slated for January --  looms.

According to an update from ByteDance, the account integration -- which ultimately connects both apps via unified logins -- will offer the TikTok community “more access to create, edit, upload, and share photo content” with a larger swath of users.

Lemon8 first became available in Japan in 2020, expanding to additional Southeast Asian markets and then launching in the U.S. last February with a global marketing push. The app gained immediate popularity as the United States government began discussing a bill that would force ByteDance to sell off TikTok to a stateside buyer.

The app has been described by users as a mix between Instagram and Pinterest, showcasing a variety of social posts and products highlighted by a diverse range of influencers. Upon launch, Lemon8 claimed TikTok as its “sister company” and uses the same recommendation algorithm that has made TikTok so popular among users, brands and advertisers.

Now it will also allow users to utilize the same login information.

It is likely that ByteDance introduced Lemon8 to U.S. consumers as a replacement plan for a TikTok ban, and has been doubling down ever since its stateside launch.

When TikTok headed to court in September to argue against the sell-off bill, ByteDance ran a massive Apple Search Ads campaign, which saw the use of 5,300 keywords targeting TikTok, CapCut, Instagram, Canva and more over the course of a week, according to Appfigures.

Around that time, TikTok's “For You” feed also began showcasing ads for Lemon8, increasing public discussion around the app in relation to the potential looming January 2025 ban.

However, if the U.S. government does decide to ban or sell-off TikTok at the start of next year, an integration with Lemon8 may not be foolproof, as it is possible the ban could include all ByteDance-owned apps due to the company's Chinese ownership.