YouTube plans ‘Shorts’ to release a rival to TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing app, by the end of the year, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The shorts will allow users to upload short videos in the mobile app feed. This app will not worry about YouTube music license as it will also be able to use YouTube music. According to a report, users of the shorts will be able to use YouTube’s latest songs.
The move represents the most serious effort yet by a Silicon Valley tech company to combat the rise of TikTok, a rare example of a Chinese-owned social media app that has become a global hit.
According to statistics, TikTok has been downloaded 842 million times in the App Store and Play Store in the last 12 months. That’s up 15% from last year. This is not the first time that YouTube has stolen the features of another popular social media app. YouTube plans ‘Shorts’ has also previously introduced the Instagram Store feature on its website.
Facebook has also developed an app “Lasso” on the TikTok style. Facebook is currently testing Lasso in Brazil.
