Josh Hendrickson
I have an honest confession for you—I’m clearly an old person. I was quick to embrace Twitter and Facebook, but I don’t understand the point of Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok. Now, Google has a new TikTok-like service called Tangi for iOS and the web, and I finally get it. But that’s because Tangi is about quick tips for DIYers and creatives, not just entertainment.
Tangi comes from Google’s experimental wing, Area 120. While the implementation seems to be inspired by TikTok and other similar services at first glance, Tangi’s team lead, Coco Mao, says the inspiration came from elsewhere. Mao explained that when she went to visit her “smartphone challenged” parents, she was surprised to find her mother had learned to paint with oils by watching instructions on her phone.
From there, Tangi was born with a DIY and creativity focus. The service wants videos to revolve around quick tips to teach skills and suggest new ideas. The name Tangi is a play on the word “tangible” and the phrase “TeAch aNd GIve.” Viewers are encouraged to use the “Try it” feature to upload their attempt at following a tip or recreating a quick project.
For now, not everyone can upload videos (there’s a waitlist), and the service is iOS and web-only—no Android. Tangi videos also can’t be longer than 60 seconds, so this won’t take you through every step of a complicated project. But if long tutorial videos overwhelm you, Tangi might be the best new way to learn a skill.
Source: Google
