Byte, the Reboot of Vine, Surges After Trump Claims He Could Ban TikTok

Between Tuesday and Wednesday, U.S. downloads of the app shot up by 14,275%

As the politics surrounding TikTok heat up, U.S. users looking to make original, short video content are exploring other options.

They’re turning to Byte, a spiritual successor to the now-defunct app Vine—at least for now.

These sentiments culminated on Wednesday when U.S. users downloaded the app en masse, according to an Adweek analysis of data from the app analytics firm Sensor Tower. The recent popularity comes after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that the administration is considering banning TikTok, as critics have zeroed in on the company’s ties to China.

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