NEW from Google: A TikTok competitor?

Google (sort of) just launched a TikTok competitor.

The new app is called Tangi and it resembles apps like TikTok and Instagram with its vertically-oriented short-form videos. What sets Tangi apart, however, is that the app is intended for how-to videos specifically, and creators need to apply to participate. The app actually bears a striking similarity to Jumprope, an app made for quickly-shot videos that help people discover how to do anything from building a gourmet cheeseboard to making lipstick to embroidery.

Tangi comes out of Area 120, Google’s experimental in-house incubator that has led to products like Game Builder, Rivet, CallJoy, Touring Bird, Emojishot, Chatbase and Shoelace.

When we talked to Jumprope founder Jake Poses about their launch in April of last year, he alluded to why Instagram Stories-like videos are successful — they’re visual and focus on short snippets of content. As a creator, they’re easy to shoot and edit and as a viewer, you can control the speed at which you consume them. 📹

This seems to be the idea behind Tangi, which has started by encouraging creatives to share how-to videos on topics like painting, cooking, fashion, crafting and beauty, among others. The app is leaning into the “how-to” culture that runs rampant on platforms like, say, YouTube.

Would you use this to shoot or watch how-to videos? We want to know what you think. 👀

This is like Quora, but for polls. Ask people anything. 🙌 🙌 🙌