YouTube is developing its own version of TikTok

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YouTube is said to be working on a short form video feature that would be added to its mobile app as a response to the rising popularity of TikTok.

Dubbed “Shorts,” the new feature reportedly will give users access to YouTube’s music library to serve as background tracks behind shirt video clips.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, isn’t speaking out about the potential feature, which was first reported by The Information.

Tech companies have been keeping a close eye on TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, as it grows in popularity. The recent coronavirus “stay at home” orders likely have contributed to the rise in popularity of the app — with users sharing viral challenges, dancing and other antics while stuck at home.

Sources say YouTube will add Shorts later in 2020.

Most social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, already allow users to share videos — but TikTok focuses on “super short form” videos that primarily showcase signing, dancing and other talents.

TikTok videos cannot be longer than 60 seconds — and the app gives users a variety of tools to add filters, change the speed of clips, add and interact with music and decorate clips with text and icons.

Lip sync videos are limited to 15 seconds while other clips can go to a minute.

The trend would follow the rise in popularity of time limited photo and video posts — often known as “Stories” — that were popularized by Snapchat, with many popular social media platforms adding similar features that let users create posts that “disappear” after a set time period.

The idea of the story format is that content is only available for a limited time and therefore lets users share more in realtime and create a sense of urgency to engage with content before it’s gone.

The stories format has been picked up by major news organizations with social media profiles — and some have also started dabbling with TikTok.