Musical.ly rebrands to Tik Tok in bid to launch new global app

Musical.ly has rebranded to Tik Tok, creating a new global app which promises users "an effortless, compelling, and personalised viewing experience". Through the move, the app looks to enable users to engage with an expanded network available in app stores throughout Asia, EMEA, North America and Latin America.This includes the debut of a new logo and user interface and will see existing creators’ account, content and fan base from both apps being moved automatically to a new Tik Tok app, together with all their pre-existing content and fans. As part of Tik Tok's commitment to creators, Tik Tok will also launch a series of new creator programs to provide technical support, performance insights and guidance on growth strategy.Tik Tok will incorporate the most popular elements of both apps with a feed that highlights the users' community, in addition to a "For You" feed that uniquely serves a curation of personalised video recommendations based on viewing preferences.New features include a "reaction" feature that allows users to react to friends' videos directly from the phone, enhanced creative tools such as mirror camera effects, virtual reality (VR) type filters activated by blinking, and green screen-like background effects.Furthermore, Tik Tok will feature a new safety centre dedicated to providing tips and resources to help users navigate a range of topics, and a new digital well-being feature with a screen time management alert when users have been on Tik Tok for more than two hours.Alex Zhu, co-founder of Musical.ly and senior vice president of Tik Tok, said that Musical.ly recently reached a new milestone of 100 million monthly active users. Tik Tok, the sound of a ticking clock, also represents the short nature of the video platform."We want to capture the world's creativity and knowledge under this new name and remind everyone to treasure every precious life moment. Combining Musical.ly and Tik Tok is a natural fit given the shared mission of both experiences – to create a community where everyone can be a creator," he added.