TikTok Ban Lifted: US Users Return to RedNote After Trump Pause

The Rise and Fall of RedNote in the U.S.

Prior to the potential TikTok prohibition in the United States on Sunday, a significant influx of U.S. users migrated to the Chinese application RedNote, seeking a comparable short-form video experience. Listed on the U.S. App Store under its native Chinese designation, Xiaohongshu, the app swiftly ascended to become the top-ranked free application within the country.

Rapid Growth and Subsequent Decline

However, following President Trump’s temporary suspension of the ban, the utilization of RedNote within the U.S. experienced a rapid downturn. By Monday, the app had forfeited more than 50% of its daily active users in the U.S., having peaked at 32.5 million daily actives on the day the ban was initially scheduled to take effect.

Data from the digital market intelligence firm Similarweb indicated a 54% decrease in RedNote’s daily active users on Monday, coinciding with the postponement of the ban’s enforcement. President Trump granted TikTok a 75-day extension, providing additional time for negotiations aimed at preserving its operation within the U.S.

Trends Observed by App Intelligence Providers

The app intelligence provider Sensor Tower corroborated this trend as the week progressed. Their estimations revealed a roughly 17% reduction in the average U.S. mobile daily active users of RedNote from January 20th to 22nd, when contrasted with the preceding week (January 13th to 19th).

Motivations Behind the User Migration

Initially, TikTok users collectively joined RedNote as a form of protest directed towards lawmakers and Meta. Reports, also based on Sensor Tower data, suggest that approximately 700,000 U.S. users adopted RedNote within a two-day period leading up to the ban deadline. By Thursday, Similarweb reported that RedNote had reached 3.4 million daily active users across iOS and Android in the U.S., representing a 133.8% week-over-week increase.

This surge in users signaled a lack of concern regarding the government’s expressed anxieties about the “national security threat” posed by a Chinese-owned application with access to U.S. users’ personal information. Furthermore, users indicated a preference for utilizing another Chinese app rather than reverting to Instagram’s Reels feature.

Reasons for Choosing RedNote

Several factors contributed to this decision by U.S. TikTok users. Many deemed the potential ban hypocritical, citing Meta’s history of profiting from user data, as expressed in numerous videos. Others simply expressed indifference regarding Chinese access to their data.

A popular TikTok sound encapsulated this sentiment, questioning why the Chinese government, having access to personal data, would choose to utilize it for purposes such as influencing reading habits towards fantasy novels.

Unexpected Cultural Exchanges

As users engaged with RedNote, unexpected cross-cultural interactions began to emerge. Discussions centered around the cost of living in different regions, and both Chinese and U.S. users sought clarification regarding their respective governments’ portrayals of the other society.

U.S. users inquired about China’s social credit system, while Chinese users on RedNote questioned the veracity of claims regarding the financial struggles of many Americans, including the necessity of holding multiple jobs. Topics such as food, healthcare, and the accuracy of depictions in U.S. television programs, like “Friends,” were also widely discussed.

The Transient Nature of RedNote’s Popularity

However, RedNote’s position as a leading app in the U.S. was unlikely to be sustained, particularly as long as TikTok remained accessible. The app’s primary localization in Mandarin prompted many users to explore language-learning resources, such as Duolingo, which experienced a 216% surge in U.S. usage.

Despite this, mastering a new language presents challenges, and many users may have abandoned their efforts over time. Moreover, unlike TikTok, RedNote is primarily focused on the Chinese market. TikTok’s global reach was a key argument it presented in legal proceedings, emphasizing that a forced sale would fundamentally alter its nature.

TikTok’s Continued Dominance

In the lead-up to the potential ban, TikTok’s U.S. daily active users reached a record high for the past year, with 106.8 million users on iOS and Android actively engaging with the app on Sunday.