TikTok is getting closer to launching an Instagram rival

TikTok is planning to release a new photo-sharing app that could take on Instagram. In a notification sent to users, TikTok says it’s launching “a new app for photo posts” called TikTok Notes, as reported earlier by TechCrunch.

The notification says it will share “existing and future public TikTok photo posts” to TikTok Notes while also giving users the ability to opt out. A new photo.tiktok.com URL (archived version) spotted by TechCrunch also briefly appeared online with a prompt to open a post in the TikTok Notes app. Judging by the image included on the site, it looks like you’ll be able to write a caption alongside your photo, too.

In a statement to TechCrunch, TikTok says it’s “exploring ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text in a dedicated space for those formats” but didn’t say when it plans to release the app. The Verge reached out to TikTok with a request for more information but didn’t immediately hear back.

We first heard about the possibility of a TikTok photo-sharing app last month, when TheSpAndroid dug up code within the app that suggested it was working on an app called TikTok Photos.

But now, it looks like that app is getting closer to an official launch — and it could be a serious competitor to Instagram. TikTok Notes will likely come prepopulated with all of the photos TikTok users have already shared (given that most users opt in), which will save it from having to draw in an initial user base.