A new app called “Lemon8” is soaring the App Store charts after its link with TikTok became widely known. What appears to be a mesh of Instagram and Pinterest with a pinch of Reddit is reportedly owned by ByteDance, the company behind TikTok. Let’s explore everything about the Lemon8 app here.
Just yesterday, Lemon8 reached the top 10 apps in the App Store in the United States, but it was wandering within the top 200 apps just days before getting viral. Right now, it’s the number one “Lifestyle app” in the market as more and more people are giving it a shot.
However, privacy concerns are clouding the increasing popularity due to Lemon8 being yet another Chinese app, and the government could already be planning to ban it. Although a different launch tactic could save ByteDance’s latest creation, we’ll only figure that out with time.
Lemon8 App: What Is It?
Lemon8 is a photo and video-sharing social media application around “lifestyle” content. It markets itself as a “content-sharing platform with a youthful community. Users can share longer blog-like posts around various lifestyle topics like travel, food, fashion, and fitness.
There is no vertical scrolling, unlike TikTok or Instagram. The main interface resembles a lot to Pinterest. However, there are also tints of Instagram, Reddit, and other social media platforms. Users can post, save, and share images and text under the available categories, along with links to get the stuff.
The photos are presented in a dual feed which is much like Pinterest. The idea is to allow users to consume more content on each scroll. If you’d take a closer look at the color schemes, they are bright and shiny, seemingly to appear pleasant and attractive to Gen-Z audiences.
Lemon8 Key Features And Content:
Lemon8 offers all the features you’d typically look for in a social media network. You can share posts, save, like, comment, and share them with others. The type of content available on Lemon8 includes text, photos, and videos.
The content is categorized into fashion, beauty, cooking, wellness, and travel. Under each topic or category, users can find suggestions, recommendations, get-ready-with-me (GRWM), and under aesthetically appealing posts.
Lemon8 also allows fashion influencers to tag where they bought their clothes and accessories and share the price of the items. In this way, it’s pretty similar to Instagram, as you can follow influencers and buy what they use. However, the focus on the e-commerce side is a bit more here.
When you sign up on Lemon8, you’ll meet a few topics of interest and get a “Following” or “For You” tab on the main page based on that. You will also find some posts around tutorials and explanations related to your topics of interest.
Who Owns Lemon8?
Lemon8 is allegedly owned by ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant that owns the highly controversial short-video platform TikTok. However, Lemon8 is listed as owned by a Singapore-based company Heliophilia Pte. Ltd. Countless reports claim that the parent company of the new sensation is ByteDance.
A representative of New Vision Theatres has reached out to ByteDance to gather more information about the ownership of Lemon8. However, we haven’t received a response as of this writing. Once we receive it, we’ll update this section.
It’s believed that ByteDance is trying to keep a lower profile due to TikTok already facing major scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers due to allegedly handling American citizens’ data to the Chinese government. However, Lemon8 is already catching the eye, and the government could look at it more closely.
However, Lemon8 is a knockoff of Xiaohongshu, a Pinterest-esque platform. It is an online community that recommends overseas e-commerce sites and products for users in China. Lemon8 followed a similar concept and gained five million monthly active users worldwide last year.
How To Use The Lemon8 App?
If you’re an avid social media user, you won’t have any issues using Lemon8 for the first time. Still, we provide a simple guide to help you share your first post on ByteDance’s latest creation, Lemon8. You can install and use the app on both Android and iOS devices. iPads are also compatible.
Note: Lemon8 is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that run iOS 11 or later and Android smartphones and tablets running on Android 6.0 or newer.
Once ready, head to the Play Store (Android users) or App Store (iOS users) to download and install the Lemon8 app.
After downloading it, launch the app and create your account. You’ll have to set a unique username like any other social media platform. Next, you’ll be prompted to select your interests. There will be various options like travel, food, fashion, home, wellness, etc.
Next, you will have to write a bio, select a profile picture, and you can also link your TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube accounts optionally. Connecting the other social profiles will help Lemon8 serve more relevant content to your timeline.
Once you have finished setting up your account, you can start posting content on Lemon8. You will have to grant access to the app to your device’s storage to choose photos/ videos to post. Later, choose the photos or videos you’d like o post and then select a template based on their theme.
You can also edit your photos using Lemon8, like Instagram and TikTok. There are many templates, filters, fonts, and stickers to make your post attractive and aesthetic. After that, write a suitable caption for the photos. There are two parts of a caption on Lemon8: a headline and the body text.
Lemon8 also allows you to select templates if you need help with the captions. Next, you can select hashtags for your post. Finally, hit “Post” to make your post go public. This is how you can use Lemon8.
Does Lemon8 Pay Creators To Post On The App?
Yes, Lemon8 reportedly pays content creators and influencers to start using the app and post content regularly, per Business Insider’s report. This tactic is common during the early days of social media platforms to generate hype and increase the audience base.
Lemon8 also runs ads heavily on other social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Still, content creators are skeptical about using the new social-plus-e-commerce application. “I’ve seen so many of these [Lemon8] videos back to back to back,” said Alexandrea Brumfield, a famous TikTok creator.
Rod Thill, another TikTok creator, said he heard about Lemon8 after seeing people talking about it on TikTok, but he is waiting for now. “Once I see enough people using it and showing the features, I’ll catch on,” he said in a video. Most of the prominent influencers follow this approach only.
Is Lemon8 Safe To Use?
Lemon8 is safe to use and as safe as any other social media app on your smartphone. The key concern is that it comes from China, and U.S. lawmakers could be well on track to investigate its activities and determine if it needs a ban.
There are data security fears surrounding the Lemon8 app already due to its links with ByteDance, whose CEO, Shou Crew, just endured a reckoning congressional hearing in the U.S. It’s true that Lemon8 collects and shares your data like most social media apps, but that is to target you with specific ads.
The app’s privacy policy says U.S. user data may be stored in servers outside the country. This is enough to raise eyebrows, but there’s even more. The policy also states that Lemon8 may share information with other members or affiliates of ByteDance, which creates a clear link to TikTok.
Ultimately, deciding whether the Lemon8 app is safe is up to you. If you don’t believe in Chinese applications, then it’s not for you. However, if you have no issues using apps like TikTok, Shein, and others, then you can use Lemon8 as well.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Here are the most frequently asked questions about the Lemon8 app:
Q: What is the Lemon8 app?
A: Lemon8 is a new social media platform centered around “lifestyle” content where you can browse images and videos in a dual-feed pattern, similar to Pinterest.
Q: Who owns Lemon8?
A: Lemon8 is owned by Heliophilia Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of ByteDance. Hence, Lemon8 is indirectly owned and affiliated with ByteDance.
Q: Is Lemon8 available for Android?
A: Lemon8 is available for Android devices that run on Android 6.0 or later. You can install the app directly from the Google Play Store.
Q: When was Lemon8 launched?
A: Lemon8 was first launched in April 2020 in countries like Japan and Thailand. It was later launched in the United States in February 2023.
Q: What country of origin is Lemon8?
A: Lemon8 is an app from Singapore, but various reports allege that the application is of Chinese origin.
Q: Is Lemon8 owned by TikTok?
A: Lemon8 is not owned by TikTok but by its parent company, ByteDance. However, the app’s privacy policy hints at a clear relationship with TikTok.
Final Verdict
Lemon8 is the latest talk of the town, and everyone is curious about it. The familiar content style attracts users from Pinterest and Instagram. ByteDance has reportedly launched the app to compete with Instagram and bring the users who’d like to shop on the platform inspired by their favorite influencers.
The hype has just started brewing as the app continues to climb the top charts on App Store/ Play Store. However, it’s still early to call it the “big thing” yet. What do you think about it? Have you tried it yet? Sound off in the comments section.
This is Saquib, a technology and social media expert with over 10 years of experience in the industry. With a passion for staying up-to-date on the latest developments and trends in the tech and social media world and as a writer, I have been creating informative and engaging content that is easy for readers to understand and enjoy, also published in several leading tech and social media publications and is a regular speaker at industry events. In addition to my writing and speaking engagements, I also work as a consultant, helping businesses grow with the ever-changing tech and social media niche.
