A new social media app called Byte, created by a co-founder of Vine, is now available on iOS and Android.
dear friends,
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 (@byte_app) January 25, 2020
Byte aims to be a direct successor to Vine by letting users create and share 6-second looping videos, as well as browse through content on a decidedly minimalist user interface.
If you want to get a feel for Byte before jumping into it, the Explore page (shown below) is a great place to start.
Byte comes equipped with basic social media features, such as a content feed, an Explore page, and user profiles. What it lacks is the ability to edit videos with filters and other effects you’d find in apps like TikTok and Snapchat.
Users can either shoot videos with the app itself or upload videos directly from their device. That means videos can be edited any number of ways using third party apps before being uploaded to Byte.
Byte has only been in beta testing for nine months, so its capabilities are understandably limited at this point. Although an announcement in the Byte community forum says new creation features are on the way.
Monetization Already in the Works
Byte is in the early stages of developing a partner program that will get users paid for creating content. This may help lure creators away from more established apps like TikTok where there’s currently no way to earn money directly from videos.
“…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.”
Communication With Creators a Priority
Another way Byte aims to differentiate itself from other platforms is by prioritizing communication with creators through its community forum.
For all the latest information on Byte, you can hear directly from the developers themselves in the Announcements forum.
