Guess Who’s Back: Vine Has Returned, and It’s Now Called Byte
The creators of a well-known Vine app introduced its long-awaited successor – Byte. Byte pretty much does the same things as Vine did – it’s an app that allows users to create and share six-second loop videos. In its essence, Byte can be considered Vine version 2.0.
dear friends,
— byte (@byte_app) January 25, 2020
today we’re bringing back 6-second looping videos and a new community for people who love them.
it’s called byte and it’s both familiar and new. we hope it’ll resonate with people who feel something’s been missing. https://t.co/g5qOIdM8qG
Byte has some standard features such as an Explore page, a feed, notifications, and profiles. Users can either shoot videos using the built-in camera or import media from their phones. On a home page, they can discover content produced by other creators. A search page lets users search by category. The categories are Chill, Pets, Food, Gaming, Comedy, Animation, etc. The only thing that the video-sharing platform lacks, for now, is the absence of filters and effects that can be found in other similar apps.
Not only does Byte look very similar to Vine, but it also has a lot in common with another popular video-sharing service TikTok. And yet the thing that basically distinguishes Byte from Vine is that the new app will give its users an opportunity to make money straight away. As the company mentions on Twitter, the developers are currently working on the monetization system. Thus, popular users will be able to take part in the app’s partner program and will be offered various monetization options.
very soon, we'll introduce a pilot version of our partner program which we will use to pay creators. byte celebrates creativity and community, and compensating creators is one important way we can support both. stay tuned for more info.
— byte (@byte_app) January 25, 2020
Twitter acquired Vine just before its launch in 2013. A few years later, the social media giant discontinued the mobile app. In 2017, Vine’s co-founder Dom Hoffman announced that he was working on the new V2 app. It was postponed, but eventually, in 2018, Hoffman renamed the project to Byte, and it entered a closed beta. Now, the app is now released on both Android and iOS.