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Huddles (app)

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Huddles
Original author(s)Dom Hofmann
Developer(s)Byte Inc. (2017–2021)
Clash App, Inc. (2021–present)
Initial releaseJanuary 24, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-01-24)
Stable release
3.0.2 (iOS)
3.0.2 (Android)
Operating system
  • iOS
  • Android
Size66.3 MB (iOS)
26.5 MB (Android)
Available in41 languages
TypeVideo sharing
LicenseProprietary software
Websitehuddlesapp.co

Huddles (originally Byte, later Clash) is an American short-form video hosting service and social network where users can create looping videos that are between 2–16 seconds long. It was created by a team led by Dom Hofmann as a successor to Vine, which Hofmann co-founded.

Initially teased as v2, it was branded as Byte in November 2018. After a three-year closed beta, it officially launched on Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store on January 24, 2020. It was acquired by Clash, another short-form video app, a year later. Both apps thus merged into a single one called Clash, which was later re-named to Huddles.

History

Byte's logo during beta in 2018

Byte's predecessor, Vine, was founded in June 2012. It was acquired by Twitter in October 2012. It underwent a staggered update on iOS,[1] Android,[2] and Windows Phone[3] systems throughout much of 2013. The main Vine app was shut down by Twitter in January 2017,[4][5] disallowing all new videos to be uploaded. The Vine homepage was made into an archive, with users being able to view previously uploaded content. As of 2019, the archive is no longer available, though individual videos are still able to be accessed via their direct link.[6]

Vine co-founder Dom Hofmann announced in December 2017 that he intended to launch a successor to Vine.[7][8] At the time, he called it "v2".[9] In May 2018, he posted an update that the project was being put on hold. Among other things, he said that the biggest reason for this was "financial and legal hurdles". He said that his intention was to fund the new service himself as a personal project, but the attention that the announcement generated suggested that the cost to build and run a service that was sustainable at launch would be too high.[10] In November, he announced that the project was moving forward again with funding and a team, under the new "Byte" branding. At the time, the website invited users to sign up for updates and for content creators to join its "creator program".[11] The partner program was shut down in August, with the byte team announcing that they "will be using this time to take everything [they've] learned and apply it toward future opportunities and programs".[12]

Byte was officially launched to the public on the iOS and Android platforms in over 40 countries on January 24, 2020,[13] with the tagline "creativity first". Additionally, the company has promised a program that intends to compensate creators for their work.[14][15] In the media, Byte has been referred to as a direct competitor to TikTok and Likee, similar video sharing platforms popular with teens.[16][17][18][19]

On January 26, 2021, it was announced that Clash, another short-form video app, would be acquiring Byte. The deal was finalized the following month,[20] with both apps merging into a single one called Clash.[21][22] After months of beta testing, Clash was publicly available on App Store on October 12, 2021. It became available for Android two months later.[23] It is available in 41 languages.[24]

Features

Huddles allows users to publish videos that are between 2–16 seconds long, either captured through the app or previously recorded and stored on their devices. Similarly to other social media platforms, Huddles allows users to follow other accounts. New accounts automatically follow Huddles's official account on their service. 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 (Rebyte functionality is no longer available). In November 2020, a color customizer and a chat feature were added.[citation needed] The app also features a search screen with tiles for popular and latest content along with video categories like comedy, animation and others.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Vine: A new way to share video". blog.twitter.com. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  2. ^ Dredge, Stuart (2013-06-04). "Twitter Vine app launches on Android after attracting 13m iPhone users". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  3. ^ "Twitter Launches Vine for Windows Phone". PCMAG. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  4. ^ Roettgers, Janko (2016-10-27). "Twitter Is Shutting Down Vine". Variety. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  5. ^ Roettgers, Janko (2017-01-17). "It's Official: Twitter Has Shut Down Vine". Variety. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  6. ^ "Vine FAQs". help.twitter.com. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  7. ^ Blumenthal, Eli. "Ready for Vine 2.0? Co-founder teases new app". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  8. ^ Chang, Lulu (May 6, 2018). "Don't hold your breath for Vine 2 — it's on hold indefinitely, co-founder says". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on 2018-06-09. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "Is Vine Making A Comeback? Vine 2.0 Teased By Vine Co-Founder". www.inquisitr.com. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  10. ^ "Vine co-founder halts development of its replacement, v2". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  11. ^ Browne, Ryan (2018-11-09). "Vine's co-founder says he's launching a new video-looping app called Byte next year". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  12. ^ "Partner Program - Back to the drawing board". the byte community forums. 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  13. ^ Shannon Liao. "Byte, the sequel to Vine and potential competitor to TikTok, launches on mobile". CNN. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  14. ^ a b Li, Abner (2020-01-25). "'Byte' brings back Vine, launches on Android and iOS". 9to5Google. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  15. ^ byte (2020-01-24). "very soon, we'll introduce a pilot version of our partner program which we will use to pay creators. byte celebrates creativity and community, and compensating creators is one important way we can support both. stay tuned for more info". @byte_app. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  16. ^ "Byte, a TikTok rival from the co-founder of Vine, tops the U.S. App Store chart". adage.com. 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  17. ^ "Vine Is Back and It's Already Beating TikTok in the App Store". Time. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  18. ^ Brown, Shelby. "Byte vs. TikTok: The apps vying to be Vine's successor in the hearts of Gen Z and snake people". CNET. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  19. ^ "TikTok rival Byte becomes 'most downloaded iPhone app' in US". Livemint. 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  20. ^ ""A Vine Reunion? Video Apps Clash and Byte Join Forces "".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ App, Clash (2021-01-27). "Byte App is Joining the Clash Family". Medium. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  22. ^ App, Clash (2021-05-28). "Clash: Announcing Early Beta Testing For Byte Creators". Medium. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  23. ^ App, Clash (2021-01-27). "One-time TikTok rival Byte relaunches as Clash, an app for video creators and their top fans". Medium. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  24. ^ "When will byte become available in my country?". help.byte.co. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
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