Marcus Robinson, a 29-year-old fashion designer, created a Red Note account to share his thrifting adventures and promote his clothing company, P-13. He previously had accrued 21,000 followers on TikTok, and estimates that 40% of his brand’s sales came from that app. “I thought I was going to keep building and make a living ultimately,” he says.

As the US braces for the forthcoming TikTok ban set to take effect on January 19, users have sought alternative platforms to migrate to. Amid the uncertainty, a Chinese app called Red Note has unexpectedly emerged as a formidable replacement, reaching the number one spot on Apple ‘s App Store charts for iPhone today.

To show how little they care about TikTok’s ties to Beijing, people in the United States are downloading one of China’s most popular apps.