TikTok makers may be working on a smartphone with the app pre-installed

The developers want to expand

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Viral app sensation TikTok has been downloaded to hundreds of millions of devices all over the world, but have you ever considered what a smartphone made by the app’s developer would look like?

According to a new report fromthe Financial Times, TikTok’s parent company is in development of its own phone that could come with the video sharing app pre-installed.

The information comes from what the FT refers to as “industry sources”, who claim the developers of TikTok - that’s ByteDance - are working on the phone now, which may also sport the company’s other apps such as news services News Republic and TopBuzz.

It’s rumored that ByteDance will be making the phone using talent in-house at the company rather than using a third-party company to develop the tech. That’s likely given the company’s purchase of certain patent rights from Chinese phone brand Smartisan earlier this year.

There’s currently no word on what the device would look like, or what it would be capable of doing. It’s likely though that the device would be aimed at a younger audience, so we would expect it to have a lower price than a lot of other smartphones.

There’s no guarantee the phone will ever see the light of day, and if it does it may only land in developing markets like India and China where TikTok is most popular.

We’ll keep an eye out for further TikTok phone rumors in the coming months and share anything we find.

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James is the Editor-in-Chief at Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.

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