Byte is an American social networking short-form video hosting service where users can create six-second looping videos.
Created as a successor to the ultra-popular Vine, Byte was lovingly named “v2” during its prior development stages before progress got postponed in 2018. Once production got resumed, v2 got renamed to “Byte.”
The closed beta period ultimately lasted for three years for Byte. After more tweaking and work on the video hosting service, Byte successfully launched for most of the iOS and Android platforms on January 24, 2020.
How Does Byte Work?
Just like with the beloved Vine, Byte allows users to make creative looping videos. One of the main differences between Byte and Vine, however, is that videos on Byte are slightly shorter at six seconds compared to Vine’s seven.
Users on Byte can follow other accounts that interest them. When new accounts are created, they automatically follow Byte’s official account to stay updated with new developments the company will be launching.
The main home screen features a scrollable feed of content from accounts that the user is following. The platform also supports the ability to "like" and "rebyte" videos.
The app also features a search screen with tiles for popular and latest content along with video categories like Comedy, Animals, and more.
Byte doesn’t just play short clips. It also includes all the features that add to the social component of a widely-used video social app. (There’s a reason the word “social” is in there.)
What Features Does Byte Have?
Byte has:
- A mini content feed for each user
- An Explore page to find interesting, valuable content from people you don’t know from around the world
- Notifications to stay on top of the game
- Profile pages to show the world who you are
- A community forum where users and followers can communicate and get ideas from their favorite creators
One of the reasons that led to Vine’s untimely demise was its refusal to adapt to monetization and advertising. Byte doesn’t want to make that same mistake. The need for successful creators to continue creating is rewarded with incentives like offering a monetization program for from the very start.
In fact, Byte also has a creator program that allows different influencers to connect and learn about the app’s features and updates before anyone else.
Creators can either shoot short video clips in three different ways (remembering the six-second limitation, of course):
- From within the Byte app itself
- Upload videos directly from your device
- Upload clips you’ve shot and edited elsewhere
Just like any other social app, Byte allows users to scroll through an infinite feed of videos that appeal to their interests. They also have the ability to select the videos you want to watch and ignore the rest.
While Byte doesn’t have the special effects competitors like TikTok offer, that doesn’t mean the video sharing app can’t be successful. In fact, many creators actually prefer Byte’s lack of
Effects. This allows them to exercise their creativity in ways never thought of before.
When you have a story to tell in six seconds or less, cool effects can sometimes get in the way.
Want to learn even more about Byte? Here’s everything you need to know.
