ByteDance’s Social App Duoshan Undergoes Major Revamp

ByteDance-owned social media platform Duoshan has ushered in a major update, transitioning from a video-messaging app into a photo-based app and re-registering on the App Store, Tech Planet reported on November 7.

This new version of Duoshan (多闪 Duōshǎn) has given up on traditional text chatting to focus on social interaction among acquaintances based on photos. The platform pushes notifications to all users at random times each day, requiring them to take photos within 2 minutes.

Users first shoot the scene with the rear camera of the mobile phone, then use the front camera to shoot their face. This shooting gameplay can make the pictures even more vivid. Moreover, only by participating in photoshoots can users see the images sent by their friends.

Duoshan has encountered various snares since its establishment. In 2018, ByteDance planned to launch a social product based on short videos, which was then named Duoshan. In October, 2018, channels for downloading it on iOS and Android were opened for testing.

After the official launch of Duoshan in January 2019, it won the full support of ByteDance. The number of daily active users once reached to 10.96 million on the night of Spring Festival in 2019, and then the number of monthly active users has been hovering around 20 million. However, the good times didn’t last long. As Duoshan didn’t develop further, it finally became a social function of Douyin.

SEE ALSO: ByteDance Stops Operation of Social Product Feiliao, and Merges Duoshan into Douyin

In the first half of this year, BeReal, a social product, became a hit in overseas markets. According to Apptopia’s data, the monthly active users of BeReal increased by 315% from the beginning of 2022 to April this year. A source close to Douyin told Tech Planet that the appearance of BeReal triggered heated discussion. At this time, Duoshan became a focus of Douyin again. At the same time, TikTok Now, the sister product of Duoshan, has been launched simultaneously.

The new version of Duoshan and TikTok Now are very similar in terms of gameplay and design, except for the different icons in the bottom bar. They are no longer attached to the traditional way of chatting.

Tech Planet said that ByteDance is still optimistic about social interaction among acquaintances, and launching new apps simultaneously both in China and abroad shows that it recognizes the social growth potential presented by BeReal.

In addition to Duoshan, ByteDance has made many moves in the social products field recently, such as applying for copyright of the PC version of Douyin’s chat software, launching a virtual social space, and the PICO-based metaverse social platform “Project PICO Worlds,” which is planned to be launched next year. Industry analysts believe that the moves are intended to attract more users and better serve other businesses within ByteDance’s ecosystem.