TikTok is making its app more accessible as it adds a new feature that helps its hearing-impaired viewers to enjoy the app more.
Called "Auto Caption," the new feature would make it faster for content creators to generate subtitles for their videos, Engadget reported on Tuesday, Apr. 6.
TikTok 'Auto Captions:' How It Makes Content Creation Easier
In an article published on Apr. 6, The Verge said that TikTok content creators previously had to manually type out captions in their videos, which proved to be a time-consuming and painstaking process.
These manually encoded captions cannot be turned off should viewers choose to see the video without it.
TikTok's new feature will not only cut the time to make and upload the video, but it will also give content creators the ability to fine-tune and edit the text in case adjustments are necessary.
The auto caption feature also gives viewers the option to disable subtitles whenever they want, whether the viewers are hearing impaired or simply anyone who finds it inconvenient or difficult to listen to audio at any given time.
However, the new feature TikTok introduced will be available in American English and Japanese for now, promising to add support for more languages "in the coming months."
TikTok's Move to Improve User Experience
TikTok's newly introduced auto caption feature is one of the many features to make the user experience much more enjoyable for both content creators and their viewers.
In December 2020, TikTok announced their refreshed Community Guidelines to promote original and entertaining experiences with the users' well-being in mind.
"[The guidelines] define a common code of conduct and encourage a welcoming community environment," the announcement reads.
TikTok added that it is constantly reviewing and revising its policies to ensure all users feel safe and comfortable when creating and sharing on the platform.
"At TikTok, safety isn't a nice-to-have or an afterthought; it's central to all our work, and our teams strive to be inclusive and thoughtful when developing our policies," the statement continued.
In November 2020, TikTok added a feature aimed at users who are suffering from photosensitive epilepsy, warning creators if the video they are producing could have effects that trigger photosensitive epilepsy.
This new feature also gives viewers with photosensitive epilepsy to receive a notification before viewing the content, and an invitation to "Skip All" future photosensitive videos.
TikTok also launched a feature that could help people struggling and lead them to resources guided by leading suicide prevention experts and behavioral psychologists.
When a user searches for terms such as "self-harm" or "hatemyself," TikTok would display content showing evidence-based actions the users could take.
The platform further rolled out a feature that puts opt-in viewing screens on videos that users may find distressing or graphic, and videos tagged as such will not show on anyone's recommended feed.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Lee Mercado
