These days, TikTok is the biggest app in the world. TikTok.com is even bigger than Google and the TikTok app was the most downloaded app in the first quarter of 2022, which saw it pass a whopping 3.5 billion all-time downloads. With such popularity then, it is no wonder that recently we’ve seen apps like Twitter and Instagram looking to copy TikTok features. Now, though, it looks like TikTok might be looking to add some more conventional social network features.
TikTok has announced that over the coming weeks, the familiar “Discover” tab will be replaced by a “Friends” tab for “more” people. The announcement came via a tweet from the TikTok comms account and did not include many more details. The announcement reads:
“As we continue to celebrate community and creativity, we’re bringing a Friends Tab to more people over the coming weeks, which will allow you to easily find and enjoy content from people you’re connected with, so you can choose even more ways to be entertained on TikTok.”
The announcement itself is quite vague and the wording seems to indicate that this rollout is a part of a test, which means it might not end up as a full feature for all users. The attached screenshot, however, which you can see above, does give away a few more clues.
The screenshot tells us that the tab will offer TikTok users a way to connect with their phone contacts as well as a way to connect with Facebook Friends. What isn’t shown in the screenshot, however, is how TikTok now plans to let users search for content, which is the traditional use for the soon-to-be-replaced Discover tab. What is also a little strange is that users already have access to the following tab, which shows content from all the people they are following.
What’s interesting here, is that we have seen two major social networks updating towards TikTok’s algorithm model over the last week, while here we are seeing TikTok updating towards more traditional social network user interface features. Like we said above though, there is no news about when or even whether this new TikTok feature will receive a full rollout. Why not check our TikTok video guide to brush up on your skills while we wait for further news.
