Social media giant, YouTube has announced that it intends to test its beta version of its video app, YouTube Shorts, a rival to Chinese owned TikTok in India.
YouTube Shorts is expected to upgrade its video feature to 15 seconds and will feature creator tools similar to those found on TikTok.
The news has come just as India banned TikTok alongside 58 other Chinese apps following border tensions with the neighboring nuclear power back in June.
India was the largest foreign market for TikTok with 120 million users before the ban which YouTube alongside dozens of other local tech companies are now rushing to dominate.
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Explaining how the new app is supposed to work as well as its features, YouTube vice president in charge of product management, Chris Jaffe said YouTube Shorts is for content creators and artists who want to shoot short, catchy videos with their mobile phones.
YouTube Shorts features a multi-segment camera for putting multiple videos in one file, speed controls, timer and countdown for hands free recording. The app also features an option to play music while recording as well as access to songs on the mobile device of users.
Mr. Jaffe expressed hopes that the app will be expanded to other markets after it has been refined with more definitive features.
TikTok has come under immense pressure lately from international players including the European Union, India and the United States citing security concerns and the fact that the apps parent company, ByteDance may be submitting critical user data to the Chinese government.
US President, Donald Trump threatened to have the app banned from the US by mid-September, except it sells its operations in the country to a local firm. Rather than sell however, the Chinese App has decided to become a trusted technology partner to US firm, Oracle in a bid to avoid Trump’s hammer.
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