Vine descendant Byte begins beta testing

FileHippo told you last November that a long-awaited follow-up to Vine was being launched. Now there’s been another exciting development…

Byte is set to carry on where Vine, the former short video app sensation, left off. Its creator, Dom Hofmann, confirmed the news last year.

It was no secret that Hofmann, an original co-creator of Vine, had been working on a sequel to the app since it was shut down two years ago. However, it has certainly been a long time coming!

Yes, it was originally meant be known as V2. Remember, it even had its own dedicated fan forums springing up way back in 2017! However, mid last year that was “postponed indefinitely” and later came the news that Byte would take its place.

Want to know the full story? Be sure to check out our previous coverage. In this article, however, we will be covering the latest development – that Byte is now in closed beta testing!

The new Byte logo was shared by Dom Hofmann, Vine co-creator, via Twitter. Credit: @dhof/ Twitter

It’s understood that 100 users have been privately invited to test it out, according to TechCrunch. They will now be able to record their brief clips before uploading them in reverse-chronological order.

Byte enters closed beta testing – what does this mean?

This means that the app is currently being tried out and sampled by a lucky select few. This will allow creators to hear what works, what doesn’t and get a chance to iron out any issues.

By the sounds of things, Hofmann feels “encouraged” by the tester’s interactions with the beta so far.

Taking to Twitter, he said: “The Byte beta we’ve been running with friends and family *feels* exactly like the Vine friends and family beta, down to the weird but appealing randomness of the videos. That’ll change as we expand, but it’s a pretty good sign.”

TechCrunch has revealed that Hofmann’s main aim is to do right by its creators. This is to make sure they will be lined up to “give Byte a shot” when it officially launches.

So, currently it reportedly just supports camera recordings, comments and likes at the minute. This doesn’t include uploads or account following, reports Relax News.

The seven-person team helping Hofmann with the project are likely to keep releasing test versions until the balance of features feels right.

Forgotten about Vine?

Surely not!? Remember those six-second videos, which created so many viral stars and memories?

It allowed anyone to freely upload a short video which could then be shared across the internet. The BBC report that Vine was said to have 200 million users worldwide during its peak.

https://twitter.com/dhof/status/1120427319078862848

Vine was initially purchased, before its official launch, by Twitter in 2012. It was shut down roughly four years later, which led to a lot of disappointment, sharing of nostalgic moments and #RIPVine trending.

It helped launch the careers of many, including Shawn Mendes and Logan Paul, who have since moved to other platforms.

Some of the most popular Vines included an Australian news reporter being ‘attacked’ by a rooster and a young child going from being incredibly happy to breaking-down in tears during an interview.

However, its most-looped video was more serious. A short clip of an explosion being heard at the France and Germany football match, during the Paris attacks, had more than 750 million loops.

So, will Byte really catch on?

Well, there’s certainly a lot of intrigue around this. With 82.4K Twitter followers racked up even before a launch date has been confirmed, you’ve got to say that’s not a bad start!

When Vine left us, it wasn’t long before China’s TikTok stole the audience away. So, it will be a tricky mission for Byte to compete with it now. Nevertheless, TechCrunch believes it has a chance – if it doesn’t alienate an older audience.

https://twitter.com/byte_app/status/1108824803895635970

Moreover, it is understood that Hofmann realises Byte can’t compete if it is simply a rehash of Vine. He knows it must offer “something unique”.

It’s certainly entering a saturated market. TikTok now has a global following, with 500 million active users no less.

Byte is set to launch this Spring. Stay tuned to the FileHippo News Blog for further updates. We’re watching this one with interest!

Feature Image Credit: @dhof/Twitter