What Doubao is
Doubao is an AI virtual assistant developed by ByteDance. According to Wikipedia, the chatbot launched in August 2023, and by November 2024 it was China's most popular AI chatbot, with about 60 million monthly active users by industry analytics. By May 2026 Wikipedia gives it 330 million users. The Chinese name 豆包 means bean bun.
It is powered by the Doubao Large Model from Volcano Engine. It works mainly as a chatbot that supports text, image and voice generation alongside AI-powered search. It also serves as the in-car voice assistant in the mainland Chinese versions of Tesla cars. You can open it on the web at doubao.com or in the iOS and Android apps.
Two things changed in 2026. In May, ByteDance announced subscription tiers for Doubao. As of July 2026, the feature that let users create AI agents inside the app is discontinued, to comply with a new regulation on AI agents. The latest model release the article lists is Doubao Seed 2.0, from 14 February 2026.
What Doubao is good for
- Everyday questions and drafts: answers, summaries and messages. Intelligence Frontier's May 2026 review, in English, asks Doubao to explain AI agents to a beginner, suggest video ideas and write a short script.
- Chinese-language work: Wikipedia calls it China's most popular AI chatbot, so it is a natural pick for writing and study in Chinese.
- Pictures and voice: Wikipedia lists text, image and voice generation among what it does.
- Search: Wikipedia lists AI-powered search functions beside the chat.
- Everyday life and study: a January 2026 guide by 橙红Iris, in Chinese, covers uses from memorizing and homework help to writing music, editing photos, singing and checking exercise form.
- Work tasks: GeekHour's September 2026 tutorial, in Chinese, walks through a full work routine with Doubao.
When to use Doubao, and when to pick another
| Your job | Use Doubao? | Or try |
|---|---|---|
| Chat, write and study in Chinese | Yes. Wikipedia calls it China's most popular AI chatbot | DeepSeek, ChatGPT or Gemini |
| An everyday assistant if you live outside China | Check first. Doubao is made for users in China, and its international version is Dola | ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude |
| A picture from a prompt | Yes. Wikipedia lists image generation | Ideogram or Gemini |
| A report with sources from the live web | Partly. It has AI-powered search | Perplexity |
| Your own AI agent inside the app | No. ByteDance discontinued that feature in July 2026 | n8n or Zapier |
| Private files or client data | No, not until you have read its privacy terms in the app | Ollama or LM Studio, to run an open model on your own computer |
How to use Doubao, step by step
Doubao is made for users in China, so the sign-in choices and some features can differ outside China. These steps name the parts that stay put, and you follow the names on your screen for the rest.
- Open Doubao. Go to doubao.com in a browser, or install the app on iOS or Android. Wikipedia lists the web, iOS and Android.
- Check the version for your country. Wikipedia says Dola is the international version and lists dola.com beside doubao.com. If the page does not fit where you live, look at Dola.
- Sign in. Follow the sign-in options on screen.
- Ask in plain words. Write in Chinese or English and say what the answer is for. For a Chinese task, give the instruction in Chinese.
- Try search. Ask about something recent, since Wikipedia lists search among its functions, and check any date or figure on a page you can open.
- Make a picture or use voice. Describe a picture in a sentence or two, or speak to it. Wikipedia lists image and voice generation.
- Follow a tutorial for your use. Pick one that matches your job: the English review by Intelligence Frontier, the Chinese guide by 橙红Iris, GeekHour's work tutorial or 知遥玩AI's phone and PC guide.
- Check what matters. For a number, a date, or a health or legal point, confirm it on a source you can open.
Write your request in the 发消息... (Send a message) box in the middle of the page, then press Enter. Chinese or English both work.
Press AI 搜索 (AI search) inside the box to ask about something recent, then check any date or figure on a page you can open.
Press 图像生成 (Image generation) under the box, then describe the picture in a sentence or two.
Press the microphone at the right end of the box to speak your request instead of typing it.
AI-made illustrations of Doubao's screens, drawn on 6 November 2026 to match these steps. They are not screenshots, so the real app may look different: follow what you see.
The tutorials at the top of this page show these steps on screen, three of them in Chinese. Names change between versions, so follow the ones you see.
An example to try
Paste this into Doubao. It asks for the same short message in two languages, so you can check the result yourself if you read either one.
Write a polite three-sentence message in English to a supplier in China, asking them to confirm a delivery date of 12 December.
Then give me the same message in Simplified Chinese.- A good reply has three sentences in each language, asks for confirmation of 12 December and stays polite.
- Check that both versions give the same date and the same request. If you read only one language, ask Doubao to translate the other back into it.
- Run the same prompt in another assistant and compare how each one words the request.
Tips for better results
- Name the language and the form you want: a three-sentence message, a table or five bullets.
- Put your text and your question in the same message, with the question last.
- Use one chat for one job, so earlier messages do not steer a new task.
- Pick a tutorial in your language. Three of the four below are in Chinese, and one is in English.
Limits and privacy
Doubao is made for users in China. Sign-in options, features and what the page offers can differ elsewhere, and the international version, Dola, has its own site. Wikipedia says Dola used OpenAI's GPT models and Google's Gemini until February 2026, then moved fully to ByteDance's own Seed models in April 2026, so Dola and Doubao may not answer the same way.
Features change fast. ByteDance announced subscription tiers in May 2026, so check what each tier includes in the app before you rely on a feature. The AI agent maker was discontinued in July 2026.
This page does not say what Doubao keeps or trains on, because ByteDance's own privacy pages are not among the sources read for it. Read the privacy terms in the app, keep passwords and client files out of the chat, and see the lesson on AI privacy.
Learn more about Doubao
- 2Which AI model should I use for my task?Which AI model should I use? Pick the assistant by your task and where your files live, then a fast or deep-thinking model, and test two on your own work.
- 1AI image prompts: how to get the picture you meantAI image prompts that work: say what the picture is for, name the subject, setting, style, framing and light, quote any words, then refine one change at a time.
- 1How to write emails with AI: prompts that workLearn how to write emails with AI: give the reader, the goal and the tone, ask for a draft, change it one step at a time and check every fact before you send.
- 4Is it safe to use AI chatbots with personal data? What the apps keepIs it safe to use AI chatbots with personal data? See what the big apps say they keep, how to turn off training, and what never to paste into a chat.
Frequently asked questions
What is Doubao?
It is an AI assistant made by ByteDance, the company behind TikTok. It launched in August 2023 and runs on the web and in iOS and Android apps, where it chats, searches and makes text, pictures and voice.
Is Doubao free?
Wikipedia says ByteDance announced subscription tiers in May 2026, so it has paid tiers. This page cannot say what the free part includes, so check what each tier offers in the app.
What does 豆包 mean?
The Chinese name means bean bun, according to Wikipedia. Doubao is the way it is written in English letters.
Is Doubao the same as Dola?
Dola is the international version of Doubao, Wikipedia says, and it was called Cici before. It moved from OpenAI and Google models to ByteDance's own Seed models between February and April 2026.
Can I use Doubao outside China?
It depends on the page and the app where you are. Doubao is made for users in China, and Wikipedia lists doubao.com and dola.com. If one does not fit where you live, look at the other.
Can Doubao make pictures and voice?
Yes. Wikipedia lists text, image and voice generation among its functions, alongside AI-powered search.
Can I build my own AI agent in Doubao?
Not any more. Wikipedia says the feature that let users create AI agents inside the app was discontinued as of July 2026, to comply with a new regulation on AI agents.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Doubao https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doubao
- YouTube: 橙红Iris, 还能这么用？超全！豆包 AI 使用指南 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPwhzTcVMtc
- YouTube: Intelligence Frontier, I Used ByteDance’s Doubao AI (DOLA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hygmZAlG5P0
- YouTube: GeekHour, 豆包工作从零到一保姆级教程 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO7AyHIk4es
- YouTube: 知遙玩AI, 保姆級豆包教程，手機電腦全能 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFZtxUUWsQU