Collage-style “moodboard” videos go viral TikTok — as well as the app that makes them possible. Pinterest recently had a soft launch Shuffles collage machine climbs the App Store Top Charts thanks to demand from Gen Z users who use the new creative expression tool to do, I publish and share visual content. These “aesthetic” collages are then set to music and posted on TikTok or shared privately with friends or the wider Shuffles community.
Although it is in an invite-only state, Gets mixed has already spent some time as app No. 1 Lifestyle in the US App Store.
During the week of August 15-22, 2022, Shuffles ranked #5 in the Top Lifestyle Apps by iPhone downloads in the US, according to metrics provided by the app intelligence firm data.ai — an increase of 72 places in the ranking compared to the previous week. It was application no. 1 for lifestyle on iPhone by Sunday, August 21, and entered the top 20 non-gaming iOS apps overall in the US the same day after jumping 22 positions from the previous day.
In addition, the company Sensor tower found that the app is now number 66 overall in the iPhone App Store in the US and is the number 1 app overall in Ireland, New Zealand and the UK. It is number 2 overall in Australia and number 3 in Canada.
The app was first released in late July 2022 211,000 downloads on iOS worldwide during the month it is live. 160,000 of those downloads were in the US, data.ai says. Meanwhile, Sensor Tower estimates that the app has had approximately 338,000 installs during that time.
Given that it’s not yet “publicly released,” Shuffles appears to be a run-of-the-mill hit for Pinterest, which is trying to reinvent itself for the creator-led, video-first era with products like Idea Pins, like TikTok, and live video shopping on Pinterest TV.
Similarly, Shuffles also targets a younger demographic that uses social media in a new way: for self-expression, not just networking.
The new app allows users to create their own collages using Pinterest’s photo library or by taking pictures of objects they want to include using the camera. One clever feature involves the use of proprietary technology that allows users to crop objects from their photos, Pinterest boards, or by searching for new Pins.
This is similar to The upcoming image cropping feature in iOS 16 it’s arguably one of the more fun additions to Apple’s new mobile operating system. Here, you can effortlessly copy an object from one of your photos—like your dog, for example—then paste that cutout anywhere you choose, like in an iMessage chat. This feels a bit magical as you only need to tap and hold to lift the image from the background.
Meanwhile, shuffle makes cropping images even easier. When you search or take a photo, the app often automatically identifies the subject in the photos, and you only need to tap the “Add” button to place it in your collage, where it can be resized and moved around the screen. In other cases, you can use the included tool to crop the part of the image you want to use in your creation.
You can also choose to add effects and motion to images to make them shake, rotate, pulsate, spin, and more. For example, you can add an image of a record player, then animate it so that it actually spins.
Image Credits: Pinterest
The finished product can be saved locally on your device, shared in a message with friends, or published in a special community using a hashtag. These hashtags can be viewed in the app’s discovery section, which also displays collages tagged with popular hashtags — like #moodboard, #vintage or #aesthetic, for example.
While the app creates good TikToks, it also helps drive traffic to Pinterest. Items in users’ collages are linked to Pinterest, and tapping will take you to a dedicated page for the item in question, which you can then open to view directly on Pinterest. In the case of items that are available for purchase—like fall fashion or home decor, for example—users can also purchase the item by clicking through to the merchant’s website.
So far, the app’s demand has been aided by its exclusivity.
Users need an invite code to enter — and can only get one from an existing Shuffles user who only has 5 invites to share.
Invite codes are often used to drive demand for new products after seeing huge success as a growth engine for Google’s new email system Gmail in the early 2000s. But in later years, their use felt less authentic as they became a way for app marketers to get users to post on social media in exchange for early access to a new product.
With Pinterest, however, using the invite code mechanism is not tied to requiring users to take any action to be admitted. Instead, you have to know someone to get an invite, which has led some TikTokers to complaining how they had to please friends for codes.
(Ask no more: Pinterest has provided TechCrunch readers with an invite code to use for the shuffle: FTSNFUFC. If this ends, you can visit Pinterest’s Instagram or Twitter account for future code giveaways. This is not an ad or paid promotion , we’re just sharing the code!)
Pinterest told TechCrunch that the app is invite-only because it hasn’t technically been released to the public.
We’re told that Shuffles is the first standalone app created by Pinterest’s in-house incubator, TwoTwenty. The team, which also had a hand in creating Pinterest TV, is focused on researching and testing new product ideas and iterating on those that gain traction.
As for why the app resonates with Gen Z, it appears to be the combination of the technology used to simplify collage creation with the desire for creative expression tools that cater to the demographic’s social habits.
“The app is seeing download momentum targeting younger users. It’s based on the empowerment of creativity and user-generated content popularized in many ways by TikTok,” Lexi Sydow, Head of Insights at data.ai, told TechCrunch. “Especially for younger generations, photo editing and creative projects are mobile-first more than ever, using robust mobile apps to create robust projects that once required complex desktop software. The app takes collage a step further with simple built-in tools that would require multiple steps or coordination across multiple apps,” she explained.
“Users are curating their boards for mood and ‘vibes,’ which strikes a similar cultural thread as Spotify’s visual campaigns showcasing your unique musical tastes.” The app inherently relies on the social habits of Gen Z, where users use social media apps to share with their networks and close circles of friends. The app has received 4.31 out of 5 stars to date since launch, with 72% of all reviews being 5 stars,” added Sydow.
Gets mixed it’s currently iOS-only and can be downloaded for free from the App Store.