Loops: The fediverse’s TikTok alternative takes shape

The fediverse, a growing network of open-source and decentralized social platforms, is set to introduce its answer to TikTok. This week, Loops, a new app for sharing short, looping videos, opened its signups. Loops aims to bring the TikTok-style experience to the fediverse, which currently has over 11.6 million users, with more than 1 million monthly active participants. However, Loops is still in the early stages and hasn’t yet been open-sourced or fully integrated with ActivityPub—the protocol that powers other popular fediverse platforms like Mastodon, Pixelfed, and PeerTube.

Who developed Loops?

Loops was developed by Daniel Supernault, who is also behind Pixelfed, a federated alternative to Instagram. According to the Loops FAQ, the new video-sharing platform will operate under the Pixelfed project. Supernault has shared some early looks at Loops on Mastodon, and he’s inviting users to join and help shape the new community.

In addition to eventually being open source and distributed, Loops promises to protect users’ rights over their content. Users will retain full ownership of their uploaded videos, and Loops will not sell or provide their data to third-party advertisers. Nor will the platform use user-generated content to train AI models. Instead, users only give Loops permission to use their content on the platform, keeping their rights intact.

Funding and moderation plans of loops.video

Unlike most social platforms, Loops isn’t backed by investors. Instead, it will be funded through donations on platforms like Patreon, Open Collective, and Liberapay. The platform is also finalizing a grant to support its development for the next year.

Unlike most social platforms, Loops isn’t backed by investors

Loops is placing an emphasis on moderation to keep the community safe. Users will receive a trust score, which determines how their content is managed. Videos from users with lower trust scores will be held for moderation, while those from trusted users will be posted immediately. This system also helps in filtering problematic comments and applying content warnings.

Human moderators will handle the review process, and Supernault has put out a call for moderators to join the platform. Videos will be categorized, but features like hashtags and mentions aren’t yet available. Additional functionalities, such as allowing Loops users to follow users from other platforms like Mastodon and Pixelfed, are still in the works.

Fediverse features

Once fully integrated, Loops will be part of the broader fediverse, allowing users from other platforms like Mastodon and PeerTube to follow Loops accounts and view their videos in their respective feeds. This type of cross-platform interaction is one of the major benefits of using ActivityPub. Remote followers will also be able to like, comment on, and share videos, provided their platform supports these features.

The app will allow users 13 years and older to follow others, like, comment on, and share videos. Future features planned for Loops include sound usage, remixing other videos, and pinned profile videos. Users will also have the ability to curate their comment sections, giving them more control over interactions on their content.

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The signup process for Loops opened after a monthlong countdown, and interested users will receive an email when they can begin using the platform. Supernault noted that due to rate limits, there may be a slight delay in sending out confirmation emails.

The Android version of Loops will be available as a side-loadable APK, while the iOS version will be launched through Apple’s TestFlight, which requires a free developer account for early access. Although a web interface for Loops isn’t a priority at the moment, it is planned for the future.

Supernault is actively seeking feedback from the community regarding Loops’ terms of service and privacy policy as development continues. This input, along with the platform’s reliance on community donations, shows a commitment to building a user-focused and transparent environment.

Image credits: Loops