TikTok's highly-anticipated Instagram killer, TikTok Notes, is starting to roll out

What you need to know

• TikTok Notes, the Instagram alternative from popular vertical video-sharing app TikTok, is starting to show up in the Google Play Store. 
• The social media app designed for sharing still images is free and can be used with your existing TikTok account. 
• TikTok officially announced the launch of Notes with a post on X, and the app is rolling out on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in select regions. 

After announcing the impending release of a new photo-driven social media app earlier this month, TikTok is starting to make TikTok Notes available on the Google Play Store for some users in select regions. The app is similar in functionality to Instagram with some of TikTok's theming and exclusive features.

For now, TikTok says that Notes is available "for download and limited testing in Australia and Canada."

In Google Play Store and Apple App Store listings for TikTok Notes, we can get a glimpse at the app's core functionality. TikTok users can sign into Notes with the same account they have for the video-sharing platform. Additionally, in a push notification sent to TikTok users last month, the company said that photo posts on TikTok would automatically be uploaded to Notes when the new social media app launched. 

TikTok Notes ditches the rigid Instagram homepage format for one that matches the regular TikTok app. There are For You and Following pages, with each page containing two vertical columns featuring staggered posts. Comments, likes, and favorites appear the same on Notes as TikTok, too. There's no sign of TikTok Shop yet, which is interesting, considering that TikTok has pushed its digital marketplace hard in recent months.

The concept is obviously similar to Instagram, but there are some things that set TikTok Notes apart. For starters, the Notes app includes headlines in the description to offset text. Again, this is similar to the regular TikTok app. The TikTok theming of black and lime green UI colors makes an appearance in Notes as well. 

"We're in the early stages of experimenting with a dedicated space for photo and text content with TikTok Notes," TikTok said in a post on X. "Whether documenting adventures, expressing creativity, or simply sharing snapshots of one's day, the TikTok Notes experience is designed for those who would like to share and engage through photo content."

For now, this means that TikTok Notes isn't available in the U.S. yet. If you try to click on the Google Play Store or App Store links above, they will open in a browser but won't open in the actual mobile app stores. Anyone outside of Australia and Canada will most likely be greeted with a message saying, "This app is not available in your country or region." 

We don't know when TikTok Notes will release globally, but there is reason to hope that it may be coming soon. TikTok Notes was only officially announced 10 days ago, and we already have a region-limited test.