ByteDance, the technology company behind video-sharing service TikTok, is reportedly developing its own smartphone.

According to the Financial Times, as quoted by The Verge , the company’s CEO, Zhang Yiming, had been dreaming of developing a smartphone preloaded with apps.

The report mentioned that ByteDance had confirmed a deal and acquired some patents with Smartisan, a Chinese multinational technology company based in Beijing and Chengdu.

Read also: Tik Tok vows to nurture local creators, prevent negative content

However, ByteDance’s spokesperson denied the rumor, saying the deal was aimed at exploring the education business.

“The goal of this acquisition is to incorporate the team’s strength to build upon ByteDance’s initiatives in the education space, specifically for upcoming education hardware,” the spokesperson told CNBC. “As part of this acquisition, the team will be maintaining the Smartisan brand, only in China, for existing smartphone owners.”

Prior to ByteDance, other tech companies, namely Facebook and Amazon, had launched smartphones with preloaded apps. However, the products were discontinued. (jes/wng)

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