Loops is a federated, open-source TikTok

Good that they have a web version.

But the most basic functionality of going to the next video is only available via scroll (no keyboard arrow down?) and it has a really long animation and delay?

Just feels awful to use.

I feel if you wanna win in this space, especially with people who prefer more "free" platforms, then the non-app version should be a bigger priority IMO.

I want this to be succesful so much, but almost nothing works in the mobile app

Needed 2 tries to sign up, and uploading a video from the camera roll failed (5-7 tries)

This form of content is bad regardless of platform.

how good is the For You feed? the tiktok secret sauce is the creepy algorithm, who's clamoring for "crack but not addictive?"

I didn't deep dive into this, but just for context and comparison, here are some other tools which are building TikTok like tools on Bluesky-

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/01/here-are-the-apps-battling...

the format isn't inherently bad, it's the algorithm optimizing for engagement over everything else that's the problem. short video is actually great for tutorials, explanations, behind-the-scenes stuff. i make AI-generated video content and the short form works well for documentary-style clips where you're mixing stills with selective animation.

the real question is whether federation changes the incentive structure enough. if the recommendation algo is still optimized for watch time, you just get tiktok with extra steps. if instances can tune their own ranking, that's actually interesting.

Recently released on the Appstore https://blog.joinloops.org/loops-is-now-on-the-app-store/

Congrats. All that remains now is spending $$$ on some D-level celebs to lure in the users...

two hardest problems for a platform like this.

1. users and initial flywheel. 2. content moderation.

There have already been some TikTok alternatives that have become popular after it got bought by the Trump / Oracle / Silver Lake group of buyers.

One alternative I’ve heard of that apparently became popular is Skylight: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/tiktok-alternative-skyligh...

"Open-source TikTok" is like reading "open source slot machine". Not something you should be proud of, no matter how much you sugarcoat it with "All the fun of short-form video, none of the corporate control"

We do not need another tiktok.