While TikTok’s fate remains uncertain after being temporarily banned in the US, the Chinese-owned social media service is continuing efforts to attract and expand its US user base.
The company announced on Thursday new enhancements for its web-based platform, including a revitalized For You feed, a new Explore tab, immersive full-screen LIVE gaming streaming, a web-exclusive floating player, and a new modular layout. These new features invite more uninterrupted scrolling on its desktop platform but also suggest that the app is vying to encroach on Twitch and YouTube’s dominance in the game streaming market.
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“By enhancing our desktop capabilities, we aim to bring TikTok’s handheld magic on desktop,” said TikTok product manager Cody Puckett in the blog post, “so you can enjoy TikTok anytime, anywhere. We remain committed to innovating for our community and ensuring the platform is accessible for all.”
The new web layout, which allows desktop users to see a horizontal view in addition to the above enhancements, is designed to attract more gamers and streamers to an immersive viewing experience. This is further emphasized by the remodeled navigation bar, which mirrors the mobile version of TikTok, thereby “creating a seamless, unified viewing experience,” according to the blog post. Gamers and streamers can now go live in portrait or landscape mode, similar to Twitch’s interface setup.
TikTok is also introducing a new Collections feature that lets users organize their favorite videos into custom categories, “making it easier to find and revisit saved content,” according to the announcement. This feature is similar to YouTube’s Playlists feature or Instagram’s Reels, which lets users save videos to revisit later.
TikTok’s web-exclusive floating player lets desktop users keep the app visible above other windows, allowing them to multitask while still watching content. This feature is available only in Google Chrome.
TikTok is the leading short-form video platform despite the legal uncertainty plaguing the social media service. However, YouTube still has an overall advantage with its 2.5 billion active users, which has much to do with its continued, sizeable growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. TikTok has also begun dabbling in longer-form video content, experimenting with increasing the time limit for videos on its platform; users can now publish 10-minute videos.