New app becomes most downloaded overnight as US set to ban TikTok in days

There is a little-known Chinese social media app which is soaring up charts among US users ahead of a potential TikTok ban.

In case you haven't heard, the US government might be banning TikTok in the next few days, meaning that millions of Americans are at risk of losing access to their daily GRWMs and viral dances.

TikTok is currently scheduled to be banned in the US (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Why is the US banning TikTok?

The prospective TikTok ban came about after lawmakers in the US accused ByteDance, the company which owns TikTok, of being linked to the Chinese government, citing national security concerns.

In April 2024, a bill giving ByteDance nine months to find a buyer approved by the US government or see the app shut down was signed into law by President Biden. The nine-month window runs out on 19 January, meaning US citizens are entering their final days on TikTok.

A federal appeal to overturn the ban was rejected in December, however, there are hopes that incoming President Donald Trump would overturn the ruling.

Both TikTok and ByteDance have both denied links to the Chinese government.

Regardless of whether the ban comes into effect or a last minute reprieve is found, scroll-obsessed teenagers are already looking for a replacement - with a Chinese app called RedNote already soaring up the download charts.

Chinese app Xiaohongshu, nicknamed RedNote, is currently soaring up download charts (Cheng Xin/Getty Images)

What is the new 'TikTok replacement' app RedNote?

Nicknamed RedNote in the US, Xiaohongshu (which translates to Little Red Book) is a social media app which allows users to share photos and videos from their daily lives. The platform is owned by Shanghai-based company Xingyin Information Technology.

Users can also use the app to shop online and share product reviews, meaning it is a mix of social media and e-commerce.

The app, which is often compared to Instagram, TikTok and even Pinterest, is relatively unknown in the West, but one of the biggest social media sites in China, with around 300 million monthly users. According to a report from Newsweek, the app is rumoured to be worth over $3 billion (£2.5 billion) in value.

A figure which is now set to grow should the recent 'TikTok refugees' decide to make the platform their new home.

Xiaohongshu is currently the most downloaded app on the Apple and Google Play app stores at the time of writing, which means a sizeable chunk of TikTok users appear to be willing to try the platform out.

But what exactly is the new social media app? (Cheng Xin/Getty Images)

The decision for users to migrate to RedNote specifically over other platforms appears to be a deliberate reaction to the US government's motivations for banning TikTok.

Whether or not users remain on RedNote long enough to grow a sizeable community remains to be seen.

Is RedNote safe to download?

Not everybody is convinced by RedNote, with YahooNews reporting the app's terms of service stating it can use your data in order to 'carry out news reporting and supervision' in the public interest.

"The app may share data with third parties for advertisement without user consent or such consent requirements have not been stated in proper or clear way," Muhammad Ajmal Azad, a senior lecturer in cybersecurity, told the outlet.

"RedNote can have access to different sensors like GPS, audio, video, energy, and scrolling patterns which can lead to profiling and unwanted surveillance."

LADbible Group has approached Xiaohongshu for comment.