TikTok is said to be working on a new photo app, and its icon looks very familiar

never say Upcoming national app bans and Billionaire vultures swarm once stopped TikTok’s progress. But if the new leaks are true, TikTok possible Wants to reconsider its logo for a new app.

Developer AssembleDebug, who owns is right in the past, Recently discovered code It indicates that TikTok is developing a new photo-sharing application called “TikTok Photos”. The code includes the upcoming language for “TikTok Photos” and suggests that creators will be able to automatically sync the photos they upload on TikTok to the new app.

AssembleDebug 發現的文字寫道：“TikTok Photos 即將推出，我們希望幫助您在新應用程式中獲得新的受眾。” “如果開關打開，無論您是否關閉彈出窗口，我們都會將您的公開照片同步到新app.”

Gizmodo reached out to TikTok for comment on the so-called new app on Tuesday morning but did not receive an immediate response.

TikTok already allows users to share photos to its app, which appear as videos in their source. They can even post multiple photos that users can scroll through like a carousel on Instagram.

AssembleDebug also discovered an icon for the TikTok Photos app in the code, which may look strange. The icon features the letter “P” prominently, clearly referring to the “photo,” and includes TikTok’s standard pink, blue and white colors. On the surface, the app’s identity makes sense.But in reality, TikTok’s final icon looks like a lot of Like PayPal.

This similarity is problematic, primarily because the use cases for these apps are very different. In theory, TikTok wants you to use its new app to post photos, while PayPal is for online money transfers and purchases. You could argue that the younger people using TikTok are using newer apps like Venmo (owned by PayPal) and Cash App, so it doesn’t really matter. That’s a good point, but there’s another problem: the icons are ugly.

It looks like a colorful patch or the beginning of a game of Tetris. At first glance, it doesn’t really convey the meaning of a “photos app”—unlike Instagram’s camera icon. When I looked at it, I didn’t really know what it wanted me to do. Also, the idea of ​​adding another black icon to my phone (like X, TikTok, and Threads) requires some tweaking to make sure I don’t click on the wrong icon.

It’s entirely possible that this new app will never see the light of day. Companies are always brainstorming new ideas for their products. Some are launched to the public, while others die during development. But there’s not much point in creating a new photo-sharing app when your app already supports photos.

Additionally, let’s not forget that TikTok has already tried to launch the photo-sharing app in the United States. Lemon 8The convergence of Instagram and Pinterest emerged last year but has so far failed to gain traction.

If TikTok does decide to bring the TikTok Photos app to the world, I hope it at least reconsider this icon.