Tiktokers, brace yourselves for a new "friendly" feature!
The popular short-form video app has added a new "Friends" tab that replaces the "Discover" tab found in the app's bottom menu. The new feature will be rolling out to more users in the coming weeks and will enable users to navigate through content from people with whom they have connected, according to the company.
(Photo : KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
This picture taken in Moscow on October 5, 2021 shows the Chinese social networking service TikTok's logo on a smartphone screen.
The rollout of this feature was confirmed in a tweet by TikTok. However, it is worth noting that this is not an entirely new change for the app since they have been testing it for a few months, but soon it will find its way to the screens of more users.
The Friends tab offers TikTok users to easily find videos by the accounts that they are acquainted with, it is basically a network-based section of the social platform that compiles all of the content from the accounts that the user has a connection to, and it also serves a section where they can find "people you may know."
In their tweet, a screenshot of the app displays a banner that says "watch your friends' videos" once they click on the Friends tab. If your account is connected to Facebook and Instagram or even your phone's contacts, TikTok will suggest accounts that you are friends with on the aforementioned apps.
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Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, was the first person to notice the new tab last month. According to TechCrunch's report, he already noted at first that it would replace the Discover feature.
This existing app provides users with a variety of content from trending hashtags and videos. It also features a search bar that lets the user search for any specific content that they want to explore.
However, there is also an existing search icon on the top right side of the homepage, which can be used to search for videos and can suggest specific searches based on the history of the user's activities.
It is worth noting that TikTok already has a "Following" tab that shows all of the content from people you follow on the app, including your friends. This decision is rather interesting since it seems that they want to be more connected with the user's social media accounts by recommending them to their friends outside the TikTok sphere.
This new tab aims to go beyond the Following feature and serves as more of an interpersonal app rather than the generic way of simply highlighting viral and popular videos. The key to this feature is "personalization" with a close-knitted group of friends or accounts that you connected to.
The company seems to be prioritizing this personalization feature rather than the trending videos found in the Discover tab, which has been significant in the app's popularity and success.
Over the past few months, the app has ushered in some changes, such as introducing a new way for users to see who viewed their profile, as reported by TechCrunch. However, it must be noted that the feature is only accessible for users who are above the age of 16 and have less than 5,000 followers.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
