What Is ‘UpScrolled,’ and Why Are People Switching to It From TikTok?
TikTok is having a tough 2026. The app recently transferred ownership from China-based ByteDance to the new “TikTok USDS joint venture,” which, as its name suggests, is a majority American-owned business entity. Any changing of the guard carries the risk of disruption and problems, but it appears that TikTok’s problems have gone beyond the usual difficult transition. First, the app itself crashed, which the company attributed to a power outage in a data center. Then, users accused the platform of updating its terms of service with aggressive new tracking, blocking certain types of content and “banning” new posts from certain users.
It’s still unclear exactly what’s going on here, but users aren’t waiting for more explanation. In fact, many have already made up their minds and believe that the app actively removes content, neutralizes algorithms, and invades privacy in a way that it did not under ByteDance. While there are other popular social media platforms to jump to, many have apparently flocked to a relatively new platform: UpScrolled. As of this article, it is now the second most popular free app on the iOS App Store, which reminds me of the time when X users turned to Bluesky.
UpScrolled, created by Issam Hijazi, is a social media platform launched last June. According to the company’s “About” page, UpScrolled’s mission is to enable all users to share their views without the risk of bias, shadowbanning or “unfair” algorithms. The company says it doesn’t push agendas and ensures that “every message has a fair chance of being seen.” If you think TikTok’s algorithm is now biased against your views, I can see how this talk sounds appealing.
The company says it only restricts content that violates its guidelines. This means illegal activities, hate speech, intimidation and harassment, explicit nudity, unlicensed copyrighted content, or anything “intended to cause harm.” UpScrolled will also never ban you without your knowledge. If the platform deletes your videos or your account, it will tell you why.
A big difference between UpScrolled and other social media platforms is its algorithm. The app divides the feeds into two: there is the following feed, which lists posts entirely in chronological order. The first messages are the most recent from your subscribers and you scroll through previous messages. If you want to find new posts from accounts you don’t follow, you can use the discovery feed. But unlike TikTok or Instagram, Discover Feed does not use an aggressive, personalized algorithm. Instead, it is based on likes, comments and reshares. Popular posts from across the platform are shared with you
What I particularly like is UpScrolled’s approach to data collection, as they largely don’t do it. The company says it does not sell user data to third parties for marketing, tracking, or profit. The only time they will hand over user data is when required to do so by law. This stands in stark contrast to many social media platforms, which seem to collect as much data as possible.
I haven’t spent much time with the app yet, although I created an account this morning to see what it was all about. I don’t recognize any of the users the app suggests I follow, which means I’ll probably have to browse content types if I want to find accounts to follow.
What do you think of it so far?
The Discover feed is a mix of content types, but it contains a lot of content regarding the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In fact, many users choose the platform as a space for pro-Palestinian content, in response to allegations that mainstream social media apps censor such posts. That said, the app has a ton of different types of content to follow, including sports, news, gaming, movies, music, technology, and travel.
As you might expect, some of the posts here are simply taken from TikTok, which is a common practice I see on social media platforms that, well, aren’t TikTok. Despite the current controversy, it’s clear which platform still has the largest share of users right now, by far.
But it’s not just about short videos. The app also includes a lot of static image posts, which reminds me more of Instagram than TikTok. Yet it seems that former TikTok users don’t care that it’s not a one-to-one replication of the TikTok formula, and care more about sending a message to the app they once loved to be addicted to.
I’m not sure my limited journey with UpScrolled this morning will keep me hooked, but it’s an interesting take on a social media platform. We’ll just need to see if the growth continues or if this is just a momentary blip before people return to TikTok.
