Users flock to Chinese apps like Xiaohongshu amid TikTok ban risk

A pair of Chinese-made social apps, Xiaohongshu and Lemon8, have taken over the top two positions on Apple Inc.’s iPhone download charts in the US as users seek out alternatives to TikTok ahead of an imminent ban.

Xiaohongshu — China’s closest analog to Instagram — became the most downloaded free app on iOS and rose to the top 10 on Alphabet Inc.’s Google Play store for the first time. Many new users labeled themselves “TikTok refugees” as they joined.