Public launch of Divine, the Vine-style app backed by Jack Dorsey

A new platform aiming to revive the short-form looping video experience made popular by Vine is now officially available on both major mobile platforms. Called Divine, the app provides access to a large archive of roughly 500,000 Vine videos restored from backups of the original service. It enables creators to publish new six-second looping clips.

The project has been supported by "and Other Stuff, "a nonprofit organisation established in May 2025 by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter. The nonprofit focuses on funding experimental open-source initiatives that could reshape how social media platforms function. Dorsey's involvement is not driven by financial return. Instead, it reflects an effort to revisit and correct the decision he made during his tenure as Twitter's CEO to shut down Vine.

The development of Divine was led by Evan Henshaw-Plath, an early Twitter employee known online as "abble, "who is also part of the nonprofit. To rebuild the platform, Henshaw-Plath examined archived Vine data, much of which had been preserved by a community initiative known as Archive Team.

The archived material consisted of large binary files, each ranging from 40 to 50 gigabytes, requiring the team to create custom data-processing scripts to interpret and reconstruct the videos. In addition to restoring video files, efforts were made to recover associated engagement metrics such as views, likes, and comments.

Although not all data could be recovered, the project made steady progress. An early version of the app launched to testers in November with around 100,000 videos. This number expanded to approximately 300,000 shortly before the public release, and now totals about 500,000 videos from nearly 100,000 original Vine creators.

The revival has drawn attention from several well-known Vine personalities, including Lele Pons, JimmyHere, MightyDuck, and Jack & Jack. User profiles on Divine can also be viewed on the web, even without downloading the mobile application.

Initially, the team had planned to release the app quickly after early testing phases. However, feedback from original Vine creators led to a change in approach. Many users encouraged the developers to delay the launch to refine the experience, emphasising that the project had the potential to go beyond nostalgia and help reshape social media.

In response, the team revisited parts of the codebase, made improvements, and focused heavily on design and usability. The version of Divine now available reflects those refinements.

One of the features introduced in the app is "compilation mode," which allows users to create curated video streams. For example, browsing a hashtag such as #cats will automatically play a sequence of related clips. Users can pause the stream to interact with content, including liking or reposting, or continue watching uninterrupted.

A defining aspect of Divine is its approach to content authenticity. The platform is designed to limit or exclude AI-generated material. According to Henshaw-Plath, this decision was based on a preference for content that reflects genuine human creativity rather than automated production.

To enforce this, Divine requires users to either record videos directly within the app or verify externally created content using C2PA. This open standard tracks the origin and editing history of digital media. This system is intended to reduce the presence of misleading or artificially generated content.

Beyond reviving the Vine experience, Divine also seeks to promote open social technologies. The platform is built on the Nostr protocol and is exploring integration with other decentralised systems, including the AT Protocol used by Bluesky. Plans may also include support for ActivityPub, which powers networks like Mastodon and Flipboard and is integrated into MMeta's Threads.

Divine does not currently operate with a revenue model and is structured as a public benefit corporation. However, its creator suggests the platform could still enable users to monetise their presence through brand partnerships or other collaborations, similar to existing social media ecosystems. Other potential monetisation approaches include direct creator support models, such as Patreon-style contributions or premium accounts that offer additional features.

Reflecting on the app's return, Lele Pons described Vine as a foundational platform that shaped her career and internet culture more broadly, expressing enthusiasm about the opportunity to revisit classic content and create new videos.

Divine is available as a free download on the App Store, Google Play, and the Nostr-based Zapstore. Access is initially being rolled out to users on a waitlist, with additional users joining over time through invitation codes.