YouTube launches TikTok copycat called 'Shorts' in India which lets users produce 15-second video clips

• YouTube launches its TikTok copycat 'Shorts' with the initial roll out in India
• The feature is located in the YouTube app and lets users  create 15 second clips
• It uses similar creator tools as TikTok, but offers a larger music library 

YouTube announced the launch of its TikTok competitor called 'Shorts.'

The service, first rolling out in India, allows users to upload videos up to 15 seconds that can be edited using the platform’s creator tools, including speed controls and a time and countdown.

Users will also have access to YouTube’s massive library of music for their original content.

The features are well-known in the TikTok app, which has over 800 million active users worldwide, but have since been cloned by Instagram for its new Reels – and now YouTube has joined as a copycat.

Shorts will be available in the YouTube app and although India will be the first to access it, the firm notes it will roll out to other countries in the next few months.

A potential ban has been looming over TikTok for months, as government officials, particularly US President Donald Trump, believe the app is a threat to national security.

Claims state the firm is selling US citizen’s data to Chinese governments.

TikTok has been searching for US company to take over operations in order to keep its stake in the US market.

Sources told the Wall Street Journal that the computer software company Oracle has won the bidding for TikTok's US operations.

ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, will need approval for the deal from governments of the United States and China, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that computer software company Oracle has won the bidding for TikTok's US operations.

A person familiar with the matter told the WSJ that Oracle will be announced TikTok's 'trusted tech partner' in America. They added it is unlikely to be an outright sale.

But with its fate still unclear, other social media platforms are gunning for its spot – and YouTube is the latest newcomer to the race.

Shorts only offers multi-segment camera, the ability to record with music, speed controls and a timer and countdown.

However, YouTube says it is working on new features that will roll out in Shorts in the near future.

‘We also recently rolled-out a prominent new spot for the create icon on Android, starting in India,’ YouTube shared in the announcement.

‘We'll continue to expand to iOS devices and in more countries soon. You can also expect more creation features in the coming months.’

‘There’s much more to come, and over the next few weeks and months, we’ll continue to roll out more creation tools and easier ways to watch short videos on YouTube as we listen to your feedback.’

Facebook, a known copycat of other social media sites, released its version of TikTok last month on its app Instagram – called ‘Reels.’

Just as TikTok and YouTube, Instagram users can get creative and make 15-second clips with captions and music.

Instagram is using its Explore page as a landing spot for Reels, with the new feature appearing at the top of the screen and allowing users to vertically scroll through content.

This is very similar to the 'For You' page on TikTok.

Those similarities led TikTok Chief Executive Kevin Mayer to call Reels a 'copycat product' that could coast on Instagram's enormous existing user base after 'their other copycat Lasso failed quickly.'

Lasso was a standalone app which Facebook launched in an attempt to lure users away from TikTok, but it failed to gain traction and was shut down on July 10.

Vishal Shah, Instagram's vice president of product, has acknowledged the similarities between TikTok and Reels.

In a video call with reporters he said that 'inspiration for products comes from everywhere'.

'I think the consumer product ecosystem is one that's constantly being inspired by the things that people are doing around then, whether that's internally in your own organisation or more broadly,' he told the PA news agency.

'I think the fact that people have a choice and that they can pick from a different set of apps to use and find the one that works for them, I think, is great.

'I also think that not any one company can invent everything - we take for granted now that it's very common for mobile products to have a feed, that was new when Facebook brought it to scale.'