TikTok owner ByteDance unveils its own chat app Flipchat: Everything you need to know

TikTok owner ByteDance has announced its long-awaited chat app called Feiliao (or Flipchat in English). And guess what? The Chinese chat app already competes with WeChat, a popular messaging app that dominates their home turf. Feiliao app comes only four months after ByteDance released its video-chatting app Duoshan in January. And in such a short time span, people have already started calling it a challenger to toinstant messaging behemoth in China, WeChat.

Feiliao is currently available for download on both Google Play Store (Android) and Apple App Store (iOS). WeChat is a go-to communication app for people in China. The app lets users communicate with each other over instant messages. Furthermore, WeChat also facilitates payments and many other services like cab-hailing, food delivery, etc.

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What is ByteDance's Feiliao all about?

ByteDance is calling Feiliao an open social product and it is hoping that the app will connect people of the same interests in order to make people's life "more diverse and interesting." To put it simply, Feiliao app encourages users to create chat groups and forums pertaining to their hobbies and interests. Here's what Apple App Store's description of Feiliao reads:

"Feiliao is an interest-based social app. Here you will find the familiar [features of] chats and video calls. In addition, you will discover new friends and share what’s fun; as well as share your daily life on your feed and interact with close friends."

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However, it's unclear what it means by "open social product." However, there's no way to WeChat users can transfer their profiles and friend connections to Feiliao. What's more, the app doesn't show an option to login via Tencent app. Feiliao links cannot be opened on WeChat. Recently, WeChat reached a milestone of 1.1 billion monthly active users.

Following are some of the features of Feiliao

• Interest groups: With the help of interest groups, one can discover the content of their interest or from their friends.
• Life dynamics: This feature lets users share their phones, videos and texts with your friends.
• Chat interaction: Built-in speech-to-text engine allows users to type text using their voice. Users can also share GIF expressions.
• Special effects camera and mood sticker let users share stickers soundtracks and more.