Welcome back to Week in Review. This week, we’re looking at the impacts of the impending ban on TikTok in the US, including the displacement of “TikTok refugees” on the Chinese app RedNote, the increase in the number of English speakers learning Mandarin on Duolingo, and more! Let’s get into it.
The Supreme Court upheld the law that will effectively ban TikTok tomorrow. The decision marks the end of TikTok’s month-long legal battle against a law that essentially forces the app to shut down unless it abandons its US operations. Starting Sunday, it will be illegal for app stores and web hosting services to share TikTok. The company warned that the app will be “darkened” on Sunday, but it’s unclear what exactly will happen when the ban takes effect.
US users are flocking to RedNotea Chinese short-form video app also known as Xiaohongshu, making it the no. 1 free in the US App Store. RedNote hits a lot of the right notes for creators looking for a TikTok alternative: It has a layout that’s similar to that of Pinterest, is commonly thought of as China’s answer to Instagram, and boasts a number of social shopping features. But the transition hasn’t been easy for some people.
TikTok users are using Duolingo to learn Chinese in increasing numbers amid their adoption of RedNote prior to TikTok’s ban. According to Duolingo, the app has seen a roughly 216% increase in new Mandarin learners in the US compared to this time last year, with a spike in mid-January as RedNote adoption began.
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Mark Cuban wants to fund the next TikTok: The entrepreneur and investor said he is ready to fund a TikTok alternative built on Bluesky’s AT Protocol, signaling the potential for an open social web powered by the same technology that powers Bluesky’s social network. Read more
Bluesky is getting a photo sharing app: An independent developer is building a photo sharing app for Bluesky called Flashes. At first, the app could tap into increasing consumer demand for alternatives to Big Tech’s social media monopoly. Read more
“ChatGPT, remind me to do my taxes”: OpenAI has a new way to make ChatGPT work for you. Paid ChatGPT users can now ask the AI assistant to schedule reminders or recurring requests in a new beta feature called Tasks. Read more
How to break up with Meta: In the wake of Meta’s decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and loosen its content moderation policies, more people are asking how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. We’ve put together a handy guide. Read more
UnitedHealth hides data breach notification: Change Healthcare, which lost more than 100 million people’s sensitive health data in a ransomware attack last year, said it has finished notifying those affected — but we found that UnitedHealth withheld notification of the breach for months. Read more
Nintendo Finally Announces Switch 2: Nintendo shared the first images of the successor to the wildly popular Nintendo Switch, showing off a larger console with a bigger screen, updated Joy-Con controllers and a less colorful design than its predecessor. Read more
Sonos CEO is out: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is leaving the company after eight years on the job following a botched update to its software platform that was riddled with bugs and removed some old features. Read more
Looking for a TikTok replacement? Try these: While there is no 1:1 replacement for TikTok, there are some viable options to consider that offer a similar experience. We’ve put together a list of different apps worth checking out to scratch the itch. Read more
HE doesn’t like to be interrupted either: Google NotebookLM’s AI-generated podcast feature needed a “friendly tune” after it was found to be “adversarial” and jarring when interrupted by human callers. Read more
Apple is banning AI notification summaries: The company is facing backlash for generating inaccurate news alerts in its news and entertainment apps. Apple said it is also introducing changes to summaries as a whole to allow for greater transparency. Read more
OpenAI gets into the local news game: Axios announced a partnership with OpenAI. As part of the deal, OpenAI will fund the expansion of Axios’ local newspapers in four new cities: Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Boulder and Huntsville. Read more
Convert steps to screen time: A new iOS app called Steppin blocks your social media apps if you don’t walk a certain number of steps each day. By reaching daily step targets, users can unlock time on their most used social media platforms. Read more
