American TikTok users have been thumbing their collective noses at the U.S. government’s decision to ban TikTok by spitefully joining another Chinese social media app, Red Note (aka Xiaohongshu), sending it to the top of the U.S. App Store on Monday. Unfortunately, many of those who already made the transition have faced problems with having their accounts suspended and banned for a variety of reasons.
Initially, RedNote had seemed like a promising alternative to ByteDance’s TikTok in terms of the app’s functionality, given its focus on short-form video feeds and creator content. However, the app isn’t a one-to-one replacement for TikTok as it’s also designed to serve as something of a Chinese Yelp or Google alternative offering local recommendations and nearby connections in addition to the video feed.
Meanwhile, some users who joined RedNote — including popular TikToker, entrepreneur, and former Bravo star Bethenny Frankel — found themselves penalized or kicked out entirely after their initial posts on the Chinese app. According to various reports from TikTok users, these bans were due to a number of reasons.
Some were penalized because their videos featured the TikTok watermark, which apparently may be an issue on RedNote, they said.
Others talked about or shared screenshots of their account suspension notices, which read that they were banned for violating the Xiaohongshu Community Guidelines. Some of these incidents involved verification issues, user reports indicate. When newcomers attempted to verify their accounts using their U.S.-based phone number (an option that was available on the app), they didn’t receive their codes so they tried again multiple times. This activity led to account suspensions likely over suspected bot activity.
Some suspensions don’t have an obvious explanation, though.
For example, one TikTok user claims their account was frozen after their first post, which was a picture of cinnamon rolls. Another joked they must have been banned for “liking too many thirst traps.” While TechCrunch has not independently confirmed or verified the reason behind each reported ban, there are enough complaints from TikTok users to suggest that it’s a real problem that people are facing.
Part of the problem is that users are joining the app but are unable to read the Community Guidelines, which are written in Mandarin. (While there is a way to switch the language to English in RedNote’s app, it’s hard to know how to find that option as an English speaker, as it requires navigating the app’s settings).
Several TikTok creators said they’re trying to appeal their bans, but it’s unclear what those efforts will yield.
In the meantime, every other app that competes with TikTok is making a play for its users, though most likely creators will return to apps run by Meta and Google, given the need to monetize their followings at scale.
