ByteDance, the Chinese company behind the TikTok social video app, is working on its own phone, a report said.
It’ll preload the phone with its own apps, including TikTok, newsfeeds and games, according to the Financial Times, which cited two anonymous sources.
The device, which ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming has wanted for a while, comes after the company acquired patents and recruited staff from Chinese phone maker Smartisan, the report noted.
It comes as the US cracks down on China’s Huawei, citing security concerns, potentially prompting the country’s tech companies to consider self-reliance in reaching customers. ByteDance is one of the few with a large reach outside China, according to the Financial Times.
However, jumping into a smartphone market dominated by Samsung, Huawei and Apple is tough even for massive companies — the Facebook-centric HTC First flopped in 2013 and Amazon’s Fire Phone failed to set people’s imaginations alight in 2014.
ByteDance didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
