TikTok is trying out a new feature that would let users create three minute videos, much longer than the usual short videos that are only 60 seconds long.
Social media consultant Matt Navarra tweeted that he was among the first people who have accessed the feature. However, it is not yet clear how many people will get access to the new feature, according to The Sun.
TikTok three-minute video on app and desktop
Navarra shared on Twitter a screenshot of the TikTok Account Updates section which said that he got "early access to uploading videos" that are up to three minutes long on both the TikTok app and desktop version.
According to the update, the app must be updated to try out the feature before trying to upload a video from the device to either the TikTok app or website. Since the feature is still on trial, we cannot expect Bytedance, TikTok's developer, to roll it out in public until it receives statistically great feedback about it.
In case TikTok pushes through with the longer video feature, it will be competing against other platforms like YouTube or IG TV, which has this feature.
How social media reacts to TikTok's new video feature
TikTok is known for its super short videos and for letting its users make short videos then share them with music as well as camera effects. According to Sensor Tower, a mobile research firm, the app owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance now has nearly 800 million downloads worldwide and is now the world's most downloaded app on iPhone.
The new feature on trial has been receiving mixed reactions from fans. @lauracreaven tweeted: "my attention span is now a minute long thanks to TikTok. And now they think we're gonna watch three minute videos?"
@OfficialCG6 hopes the feature is not exclusive to TikTok user who large following because doing so "is a corrupt and discriminatory act." He added that one minute is already enough, but he sometimes need more time "for some Music Theory Tips."
Also, @itsKamalnehme is being negative to this update. "I think the reason of tiktok's HUGE success is the ability to go from video to video, watch and consume multiple ideas in a matter of 5 mins," she said adding that users sometimes spend about two hours on the app without knowing. While @cylenam is thankful about the update as she was "tired of hearing that there is a part 2 to a video," @bruno_garcia011 thinks it was not a good idea because it "is too long."
Meanwhile, @sheldonchang suggested that the feature should also have a parental control, so the time children spend on watching TikTok videos will be limited. However, @cody_kledzinski noted that it is the parent's job to oversee how their children is using the platform. "Why's an app gotta make up for a lazy parent," he replied to @sheldonchang.
In 2017, Bytedance acquired Musical.ly and merged it with TikTok, which attracted even more new users. In November 2019, Facebook launched Lasso to compete against TikTok, but it did not work out well.
More recently, Google launched YouTube Shorts in September to direct compete against TikTok. Meanwhile, Facebook-owned Instagram rolled out its own short video feature, Instagram Reels and even offered huge amounts to popular TikTok creators to use the feature.
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Written by CJ Robles
