CapCut hit by US ban – and in completely unrelated news, Instagram has just revealed a new video-editing app

(Image credit: CapCut)

TikTok wasn't the only Bytedance app to be banned
CapCut was taken down, and Meta out of nowhere announced Edits
Edits sounds a lot like CapCut as a free editing tool for smartphones

TikTok’s short-lived (for now) US ban might have ended but several other apps that were caught in the crossfire are still yet to make a comeback at the time of writing due to their Bytedance affiliation. Marvel Snap was taken out, to everyone’s surprise, popular TikTok alternative Lemon8 was removed, and video-editing software CapCut also got cut. And in completely unrelated news, Meta took the opportunity to announce Edits, its own CapCut clone.

For the uninitiated, CapCut is a free photo and video editor from Bytedance that you can use on your phone, tablet or PC to edit your content. While it’s ideal for cutting together shortform content for platforms like TikTok, you can also use its tools and AI features to create longer-form videos complete with captions and effects.

With that in mind, let's look at the Edits announcement from Adam Mosseri, and Meta’s head of Instagram. Taking to Threads Mosseri calls Edits a free smartphone video editor for Instagram and other platforms – sounds kinda similar right? Well there are a few differences.

For one it sounds like Edits will be entirely focused on the smartphone experience rather than also having a PC launch. For another, Mosseri paints Edits as a place to not only edit content but as a one-stop shop for creatives to draft and store ideas, to capture video using an improved camera app, and to get access to info on trends to help inform your next short.

TikTok Ban — The TikTok ban affected more than one app (Image credit: Getty Images)

Though to return to the CapCut similarities, just like its rival, Edits isn’t available to download right now either – with the software currently up for preorder on iOS (an Android release is planned too) with a scheduled launch date of March 13, 2025.

It does seem a little suspect that Meta would have this announcement ready to go the day of TikTok and CapCut’s apparent demise, we’re just surprised it didn't take this opportunity to actually roll its rival out – though given the initial issues it had rolling out Threads when Twitter seemed to be on death's door, we aren’t surprised it’s taking things more slowly.

What’s up with other banned apps?

As for Bytedance’s other banned apps, TikTok is steadily making its comeback. You can now access your favorite creators via the app without using one of the best VPNs to spoof your location, though US users are still unable to install the app via app stores.

Marvel Snap Planet Hulk update — Marvel Snap will make a comeback soon (Image credit: Nuverse)

It’s unlikely that TikTok will be restored in full until Donald Trump signs the executive order he has promised that will extend the timeline within which TikTok must be sold. While he has vowed that there would be “no liability” for companies that support TikTok, and that he will sign the order on his first day in office, until he signs such an order we expect Apple and Google will hold fire in case he does yet another 180 on whether he wants to ban or save the social media platform.

Marvel Snap, the most surprising ban from over the weekend (even its own creators, Second Dinner, didn’t realize the app would be banned) is looking to return soon too. It’s still down in the US but in a post made on Sunday January 19 at 8:38pm ET / 1:38am GMT Second Dinner says it hopes to "have it back online within 24 hours.” It’s unclear if this is because it’s rejigging things on the backend so they’re no longer associated with Bytedance, or if the unbanning will be as part of the promised Trump unban but hopefully it’ll return soon so players can get back to playing the current Dark Avengers season.

Lemonade is still offline too. We expect it’ll return properly when TikTok does, though given its status in the US as simply a TikTok alternative which users only flocked to in the face of a ban, we expect it’s not Bytedance’s top priority – certainly not as much of a priority as TikTok.

Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.