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In 2015 , the blogging site Tumblrlaunched a GIF discovery feature called Tumblr TVas an experimental production . Now , with theU.S. TikTok banleaving the fate of the unforesightful - form video app changeable , Tumblr has adjudicate it ’s finally time to launch Tumblr TV , which has since evolved to plunk for picture , to all its users as one of its standard lineament .
The party on Tuesdayannouncedthe product ’s graduation from its observational labor home known as Tumblr Labs , explaining how the tab would become available to everyone . fresh users will see the tab in a fair prominent third position in the app . Meanwhile , existing users will be able to toggle Tumblr TV on or off in theirDashboard Tabsconfiguration preferences , Tumblr order .
The decision to advance the telecasting product from an experimentation to a core group feature well-nigh 10 years after its creation has a lot to do with the demand forTikTok alternativesin the Wake Island of the U.S. police that banned the app and others with Chinese ownership in the country .
Though enforcement of that ban is currently on hold afterPresident Trump ’s intervention , it ’s still unclear whether TikTok will hold to a tidy sum — despiteitsmanysuitors — to keep the app live in the U.S. after the 75 - day deadline extension is up .
Likemany apps , Tumblr saw a surge of users connect its service on the Clarence Day of the TikTok ban on January 19 , a company spokesperson told TechCrunch . As a solution , the blogging service experience a roughly 35 % step-up in iOS app installs and a 70 % increase in new users join Communities , a characteristic that permit users to join various groups focused on specific interests .
In fact , some newcomers even launch Tumblr Communities , likeTikTok Repository , aimed at those who need a place to back up and share their TikTok videos . Another Community , TikTok Refugees , was active with both new and return drug user , the company order .
As a competitor to TikTok , however , Tumblr boob tube falls short . Though the company made many improvements while the service was a Labs feature article — including the add-on of lightbox support , improved scouring , and video support — the final product does n’t feel all that much like TikTok , where original Divine content command .
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Tumblr ’s video feed does allow for vertical swipe - based navigation within its channels ( like Art or Sports ) when view on mobile , similar to TikTok . But the GIFs featured in this full - screen viewing mode are naturally mealy , while many of the videos have are n’t formatted for vertical viewing because they were never record for a vertical video recording app in the first billet .
Still , the company hop that a video provender could make TikTok users finger a small bit more at home if they adjudicate to move to Tumblr .
Of course , with TikTok back online in the U.S. for the time being , the demand for a backup app is in all probability decline .
