Byte is a new social media app that is cut from the same cloth as Vine, offering 6-second videos to the masses. It could even be considered a reboot of Vine as it’s main premise is very similar. It was also created by the creator of Vine, Dom Hofmann. The trio of Hofmann, Rus Yuspov and Colin Kroll started Vine in 2012. The app became a phenomenon soon after. Vine was made up entirely of videos between 2 and 6 seconds long which were mostly rapid-fire comedy sketches.
Vine served as a launching pad for some of the biggest internet stars of today, with Shawn Mendes, Jake and Logan Paul, King Bach and Nash Grier all getting their start on Vine. It was bought by Twitter for $30 million. In 2016, Twiteter decided to shut down the service despite it still being popular – albeit no longer at it’s peak.
Just over a year after Vine was put to rest, Hofmann announced he was working on the successor app. It was tentatively titled V2 (presumed to be Vine 2), although it was delayed indefinitely due to “financial and legal issues.” The project was eventually resumed under a new name, Byte, and officially launched on iOS and Android on January 24th of this year.
How Is Byte Reviving The Vine Experience?
It’s hard not to compare Byte to Vine when they share the thing that made Vine so unique, 6-second videos. Byte has also been compared to it’s biggest competitor at the moment, TikTok. Both are video-sharing platforms, but TikTok posts can be up to 60-seconds and have more of a focus on music and dancing rather than comedy. Byte’s UI is a big departure from Vine and is more akin to TikTok. It displays colorful accents complimenting the color scheme you pick for your profile.
In terms of features, you can create an account, follow your favorite creators, and use the search tab to find popular Bytes (the term to describe posts on the platform). On other people’s Bytes you can do the usual social media interactions such as giving a like, leaving a comment, or sharing it through a “Rebyte.” You can create your own videos and even upload videos from your camera roll. A unique feature comes in the form of profile stars displayed in your stats. You earn stars by gaining more followers, getting more loops (meaning views) on your Bytes, and by watching other user’s videos.
It’s easily the closest thing we’re ever going to get to a true Vine sequel, and the two apps have very similar energy. 6-second videos allow for a quick, almost hypnotic style of entertainment that hasn’t been in the mainstream since Vine was shut down. Byte has a real chance of sliding right back into the 6-second sized hole that Vine left open.
