Video-Sharing Mobile Apps: How To Make An App Like TikTok

Originally published at opengeekslab.com on May 12, 2020

Today it seems that there are no people left who somehow would not hear about TikTok, a real phenomenon of 2019 among video-sharing mobile apps. This mobile platform simply conquered the vast mobile application market. TikTok video app combines all popular functions of Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube into one. This application is very popular among students. Even adults like to spend leisure time watching videos and creating their own content. Released in 2018, this app gained has gained immense popularity within US teens, and then everyone started talking about it around the world.

The service is still on top among free applications and, apparently, will not leaning back. Such rapid success caused a great stir and many questions. How to create a similar application? What are the secrets of its popularity? How does the TikTok business model work?

In this post, OpenGeeksLab decided to dive into what it is, why it is so popular, and whether it is worth creating an application similar to TikTok.

TikTok Phenomenon Among Video-Sharing Mobile Apps

Today, TikTok is the main competitor to YouTube and Instagram. The video-sharing application story began with the application then called Douyin. Chinese developer Alex Zhu founded this social network in 2016. Once he saw students dancing and filming videos. From here, the best video-sharing app was born where one can grimace, dance or lip-sync. This funimate app is designed to create and view videos representing clips, sketches, or reactions to trends. Once created, the video can be modernized and transformed using a wide variety of effects, filters, etc.

As of 2019, the App Store alone had more than 33 million app installations. Along with Google Play, the number reaches more than 1.1 billion users worldwide. On average, users spend 52 minutes daily on TikTok. This application has become a real field for talent manifestation, entertaining content and even learning. It consists only of small clips in which users do what they want: to trick friends, cosplay their favorite anime characters, show life hacks, teach foreign languages, etc.

What’s all the hype with this application? Here are the core reasons of buzz surrounding it:

• Content brevity. Videos last mostly 15 seconds. Ease of creation and saving time — this is what modern society needs.
• Young content creators are those who mostly go viral on TikTok. Thus, 25.8% US users are 18–24 year-olds and 24.5% of them are aged between 25–34.
• Celebrities and brands are exactly authorities for young users. Their presence boosts the application popularity.
• Users can not only show creative skills but also earn money through cooperation with brands, participation in contests, raffles during live streaming, etc.

Since its inception, the initial application concept has not changed drastically. ByteDance developers received $75 million in revenue from in-app purchases. Perhaps, the right target audience, a clear focus, and ease of use have become three main pillars of continued service popularity.

Essential Features of Social Media Apps Like TikTok

Developing a TikTok similar app is a complex and costly process, so for starters, it’s best to create an MVP, an application with some basic functions. This will help you to use your resources in a balanced and rational way as well as remain flexible in introducing new opportunities. As a result, in the process of your TikTok-like app development, you will be able to interact with users by adding or upgrading functionality. Among a great number of functions for creating video-sharing mobile apps, we identified the most useful and notable:

1. Video Uploading

In order to succeed with your social video-sharing app, you need to ensure convenience and accessibility in uploading videos. To allow users post their videos freely, think about it beforehand.

2. Video Editing

Popular video-sharing apps like TikTok not only make it possible to shoot videos and share with friends. They have varied possibilities for editing videos. Among them are:

• Thousands of tracks that can be inserted into the video
• Funny masks, filters and effects
• Emoji that will not leave users indifferent
• Ability to edit video (cutting, dubbing, cropping, showing from a certain time, etc.)

3. Live Streaming

Live streaming enables communication between users who can exchange information, ask questions to top-rated users, prank, or receive money on virtual gifts of other users.

4. Social Sharing

People can share TikTok video on other social networks, thereby attracting more audiences. After logging in, users can also sync contacts from other social networks and find their friends who may already be registered with TikTok.

5. Duet Option

The TikTok video app offers duet videos. Dueting on TikTok is a great opportunity to express oneself, become more popular and increase profile activity. A duet can be made with a friend, an occasional user, or with a favorite star. Add the hashtag #duettwinte and users already make content nearby on the same screen.

6. Video Preview Before Registering

Registering in TikTok is optional. Without creating an account, users will only be able to scroll feed and view trending videos. To manage an account, publish personal content, customize wishes, or leave a comment, customers still have to log in.

7. Location-Based Content

Video-sharing mobile apps like TikTok use geolocation function. With it, users can find their favorite TikToker who shoots a new vine nearby or add their location to video.

8. Real-Time Analytics

This function allows users to view graphs of profile activity (comments, likes, views), as well as receive live data of viewers’ number during live streaming.

9. Reactions Feature

Consumers can record their reactions to other TikTokers’ videos. This feature allows recording people’s reaction while watching a clip, and then publishing it within the app. Additionally, they can resize and reshape the recording window on the go.

10. Hashtags

For the TikTok video app, hashtags are one of the main ways to promote a profile. Despite the fact that a platform is based on artificial intelligence algorithms, hashtags still play a big role for users who are looking for content. Consumers can create their creative hashtag or use advanced hashtags to attract more attention. The same function works to create a duet.

Key Issues to Consider While TikTok-Like App Development

Mobile ecosystems change daily on a constant experiment basis. TikTok, in turn, sets the tone in the free video-sharing apps field. To create the same dynamic application, it is crucial to consider some factors that will help to correctly define a business idea and calculate costs.

1. Research Your Target Market

Determining your target audience is the initial step of creating a TikTok-like app. The researching, including competitor analysis, will open the door to understanding user’ needs and pain points. This is a factor that influenced TikTok success. They bet on teenagers, short-form videos that captivate youth to binge-watch all creative stuff. But this does not mean that you should copy their path. Think though your own strategy.

2. Choose the Monetization Model

If you have already decided with your potential users, now you should define the right monetization model. Right now, TikTok offers in-app purchases done with in-app currency. Users participate in live streams with virtual currency purchased for real money, which can then be exchanged for gifts. The application also generates income from ad placement on interface allocated space, which gives a profit in views number calculation and following links.

3. Cooperate With an App Development Team

In order for your application to be as successful as TikTok, you should partner with a development team. The fate of your best video-sharing app lies in your experts’ hands. Make sure that developers have experience in creating niche solutions and understand your business targets. If you have not found developers to meet your needs, offshore development may be an alternative solution.

4. Prepare Design

Functional mobile app interface plays a vital role in creating video-sharing mobile apps. If your application design does not meet users’ need, they delete it instantly. Your application should be both visually appealing and useful. Your interface should be intuitive and responsive. This will allow users to quickly and efficiently navigate service.

5. Create an MVP

When planning a TikTok similar app creation, you need to consider all necessary expenses. The project cost depends on its complexity, basic/advanced functionality, design, development team location, etc. Accordingly, more work requires more time. An approximate cost for creating a TikTok-like app ranges from $40.000.

6. Release and Marketing Activities

When a series of application tests and improvements are completed, it is time to release your social video-sharing app to the Apple Store/Google Play. Do not forget about advertising. You need to run a promo campaign to spread the word about it. This will help attract customers and market your application thoroughly.

Set Your Own Direction!

To make good competition in the video-sharing mobile apps field, you must offer something new, as TikTok creators did. There are already existing analogs. For example, Cheez with an extended community where one can create/share short music videos, video blogs, or even trendy videos. Or the Funimate app, a video editor that complements TikTok-like apps. And this list is continually replenishing.

Define your business idea and compare it with your target audience’s desires. Find the right team of specialists who will solve all technical problems. And don’t forget to fuel interest in the application, offering new interesting features. As you see, creating a TikTok similar app will not be a headache if you follow all tips above.

If you decided on your social video sharing app idea, then you have come where you need to. Drop us a line and we will help deliver a video sharing application to boost your business.