Complete RedNote Guide for TikTok Refugee

Overview

The TikTok ban is a request by the U.S. government to divest or sell TikTok's U.S. business before January 19, 2025, by ByteDance (TikTok's parent company) on the grounds of national security.

If the TikTok ban comes into effect, more than 170 million TikTok U.S. users could suddenly be deprived of the social media app. In the past few days, self-proclaimed "TikTok refugees" have flocked to another Chinese app called RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, which roughly translates to "little red book". 

As U.S. users become increasingly concerned about TikTok's ban, finding alternatives has become increasingly important. Another popular Chinese social media application, RedNote, quickly became popular on the American Internet and topped the Apple App Store download list.

Most of the first updates posted by these TikTok users on RedNote are like this: "Hello, TikTok refugees", accompanied by an interesting picture. These new RedNote users mock themselves as "TikTok refugees." What’s even more interesting is that Chinese children will post their English homework to the comment area of ​​“refugees” to ask for their help; and "refugees" kids will also post their math homework in the comments of Chinese users to ask for help because they know that Chinese people are generally good at math.

1. What is RedNote?

The RedNote application is mainly targeted at young users. Users can record and share their lives through short videos, pictures and texts, and interact based on interests. For many new users of RedNote, using this application may feel strange, because RedNote is currently mainly a social platform mainly for Chinese young people, and the content is mainly in Chinese. This article will introduce how to register and use the RedNote application, and how to participate in the interaction.

2. How to Create an Account on RedNote?

Step1: Download the RedNote app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. If you have a Chinese-brand smartphone and the app does not yet appear on the home screen, visit the internal app store (such as GetApps on Xiaomi phones) and you will find it there. 

Step2: Open the app and there is a login page with a red "login In" button. Before logging in, you need to carefully read the terms and conditions of the user agreement and privacy policy. After checking the privacy agreement, click "Login in". There are other login methods, but those are for users who have other Chinese social media accounts.

Step3: Of course, if you don't have an account yet, you will need to enter your mobile phone number at this time, and it will automatically use your phone number to register. In the area to the left of the phone number, make sure to select the country/region code corresponding to your mobile phone operator based on your location.

A verification code will be sent to your phone, which usually takes only a few seconds. However, some mobile phone numbers outside of mainland China may encounter issues receiving the verification code. You can try a few more times, or purchase a virtual phone number on an internet platform to receive the verification code for registration.

Step4: It will start creating an account for you, please select your gender.

Step5: Choose your age.

Step 6: Select your interests – there are multiple choices here, ranging from nail care to pets to life tips.

Step 7: You are finally in and ready to explore once you have responded to one last message which asks whether you will allow RedNote to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites. Choose either “Ask App Not to Track” or “Allow”.

Step 8: If you want more people to know you and gain attention, then editing your profile is your next priority. As shown in the figure below, click Edit Profile to enter the profile editing page, where you should fill in the details carefully. People who like you will not only read the content you create, but also pay attention here to learn about you.

3. Post Your First RedNote's Post

Click the "+" button with a red background on the APP homepage to enter the photo album and select the media to be published, such as pictures or videos. 

On the media editing page, you can perform content decoration, such as cropping the media, adding filters, stickers, background music, etc.

Enter the text content you want to express on the publishing page. You can use #Topic to introduce topics, such as the most popular #tiktokrefugee at the moment; use @User to remind your friends to pay special attention to your post; use @Vote to add interactivity to the post. For example, PK function, voting function.

Conclusion

As TikTok users begin to explore new platforms like REDNote, it’s critical to have the right tools in place to ensure a seamless experience. REDNote provides users with an exciting space that inspires creativity and fosters connections, allowing people from opposite sides of the world to communicate and interact with each other like never before. Its excellent network stability supports real-time communication and short video interactive experience, all thanks to the strong technical support of Tencent EdgeOne. As Asia's leading CDN provider, Tencent EdgeOne provides REDNote with one-stop guarantee in terms of CDN acceleration, security protection and media storage, assisting the development of its global services.

Sign Up to begin your journey with us!

FAQ

1. What are TikTok refugees?

The term "TikTok refugees" typically refers to users who have left or are considering leaving TikTok for various reasons, such as concerns over privacy, data security, censorship, or changes in platform policies. These users often seek alternative social media platforms where they can continue to create, share, and engage with content in a similar manner. The term "refugees" is used metaphorically to describe their migration from one digital platform to another in search of a better or safer online environment.

2. REDNote Not Sending Code? Fix REDNote Phone Verification

If REDNote doesn't send a verification code, first make sure you select the correct country code (for example, "U.S." for +1) and that your phone number is entered correctly. Sometimes there is a delay due to heavy traffic, so please wait a few minutes and try sending the code again. Check your spam or blocked messages folders to make sure the code hasn't been filtered. If the problem persists, please restart the app or your device.

3. Is REDNote the new TikTok?

REDNote and TikTok are different platforms, each with its own characteristics and meeting the needs and usage scenarios of different users. TikTok is a popular social media application that focuses on short-form video content and is more suitable for users who like entertainment and quick consumption of content. REDNote is more suitable for users who like to share and obtain lifestyle and shopping information.

4. How to interact with Chinese posts?

REDNote currently mainly caters to young people in China, and the content published is mainly in Chinese. How to browse posts freely and avoid copying the content to translation software again and again to understand it? It is recommended that you use the REDNote website. Almost all the functions of the app are available on the web version, but on the web version, you can use the translation function of the Chrome browser to translate web content into English for browsing, or you can install a translation extension for the browser to translate web content.

5. What should I consider when publishing content on REDNote?

REDNote is an application released by a Chinese Internet company, and it must comply with relevant Chinese laws and regulations. China conducts management and review of pornography, gambling, drugs, violence, fraud and other illegal or immoral content. Therefore, the relevant content you publish must also comply with the above regulations. Only by publishing some positive and friendly content can you avoid being warned by the platform, restricting traffic, or closing account permissions.

6. How to quickly meet new friends or attract others to follow you on the REDNote platform?

• Complete your profile: Make sure your profile page contains enough information, such as your interests, hobbies, career, personal introduction, etc. This makes it easier for other users to get to know you and become interested in you.
• Publish interesting content: Publish interesting and valuable content on RedNote, such as articles, photos, videos, etc. Quality content can attract the attention of other users and increase your exposure.
• Participate in community interaction: Actively participate in discussions, comments and likes in the RedNote community. Interact with other users to capture their attention and interest by demonstrating your knowledge, insights and friendly manner.
• Follow and interact with other users: Take the initiative to follow other users and leave meaningful comments and replies on their content. Establishing interaction and communication helps build new social relationships.
• Join interest groups or discussions: Join groups or discussions related to your interests on RedNote to communicate and interact with like-minded people. This can expand your social circle and find more friends with common interests.