Bitmoji-like avatars, keyword filtering for the For You Page, group chats, audio-only livestreams, screen sharing on livestreams, and Twitch-like subscription features, which would allow creators to make subscriber-only emotes and subscriber-only comment sections, are among the new features TikTok is working on. Matt Navarra, a social media analyst, identified these possible features-in-progress.
These rumors should not be taken seriously; just because TikTok is experimenting with a new concept doesn’t guarantee it will be implemented in the app. However, adding features might sometimes reveal information about a platform’s future goals.
“We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience,” a TikTok spokesperson said. The representative confirmed that these features are being considered, but stressed that when TikTok tests out new concepts, the purpose is to obtain user input – the final functionality (if it is given out) may look very different from what we see in leaks.
Some of the reported features, such as paid creator subscriptions, have already been publicly tested in some manner. Subscriber-only emotes and comment sections, which are straight from Twitch, could make sense in the setting of yet another TikTok test: TikTok Live Studio, a desktop streaming software.
TikTok has already announced the keyword filtering function, which is akin to Twitter’s muted words feature, as part of its ongoing effort to clean up its For You Page.
“We’re working on a feature that would let people choose words or hashtags associated with content they don’t want to see in there For You feed,” TikTok wrote in a December blog post.
Other leaked ideas, such as avatars and audio-only livestreams, allude to new possibilities for TikTok’s growth. Why not try to capitalize (somewhat late) on interest in live audio if they can livestream video? It’s also past time for TikTok to allow us to send group messages.
To read our blog on “Tiktok’s launches Urdu safety center in Pakistan,” click here.