Speaking about these changes, a spokesperson from the company told TechCrunch, “We’re always experimenting with new ways to improve the app experience for our community.”
It’s like the opposite of Instagram lol pic.twitter.com/6LWrEXgj2y — Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) July 18, 2019 We should mention that the most prominent change that has come to light is the ‘For You’ page that has been generated algorithmically on the app. While today users have to flip through each video on this page and all the videos are available in a vertical feed. Going forward, the section of the app will get a grid-style layout that looks like it has been inspired by Instagram’s Explore page. With this, users will not be forced to watch the content that they don’t want to.
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) July 18, 2019 Another key feature that is being added is the ‘Discover’ tab. The dedicated button for the tab will be replacing the ‘Search’ tab on the app that lets users enter various keywords to look for the content that they are interested in. The ‘Discover’ feature, on the other hand, comes with a people icon on it and this could mean that it helps users look for other people to follow on the app.
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) July 18, 2019
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) July 18, 2019 The app could also be adding another related feature called ‘Suggested Users’, that is supposed to showcase the top talent on TikTok. Usually, being in the ‘Suggested’ list of an app helps in becoming one among the top creators of the platform.
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) July 18, 2019 But then, two features that haven’t been picked from Instagram have also been uncovered by Wong. One shows the ‘Like’ counts on videos in the Sounds and Hashtags page, and the other one shows the number of Downloads on videos.
Other than this, some features were also found that are aimed at improving connections with other social media apps. TikTok will also be getting better integration with WhatsApp and the ability to link their account to Google and Facebook. Besides this, an Account switcher, a ‘Liked by Creator’ comment badge and a downgrade to the TikCode (QR code) is also being tested.
