TikTok is currently exploring a new screen mode that will feature horizontal videos on the platform. The video-sharing app plans to roll out the upcoming feature to some global users.
In an interview with TechCrunch, the ByteDance-owned firm has previously claimed that it wanted to compete with YouTube when it comes to bringing the horizontal full-screen mode.
New TikTok's Horizontal Full Screen Mode
TikTok, so far, has had a lot of successful testing of its features this year. When it finally hit a billion records for global users every month, it concluded that its tactics were indeed effective for the public.
According to TechCrunch, the company says that chosen users will take part in the experiment wherein they will see a dedicated button on a square-shaped clip upon scrolling through their feed.
Once they click the button, the video will go into full-screen mode. The appearance of the clip will stretch horizontally as opposed to the vertical videos.
Before, content creators used to flip their phones in landscape mode just to capture short clips vertically. However, it won't be the case anymore with the upcoming feature since they won't be required to turn their phone on the other side.
Of course, before releasing it to the public users, there's a need to assess if it will be favored by the beta testers.
If all goes according to plan, we might soon see the full-screen horizontal videos sometime in 2023. At this moment, YouTube might be planning to launch a new gimmick that could surpass the said feature.
For TikTok, this mode will allow the users to post everything that they want to feature for their content whether it's all about gaming, education, cooking tricks, and many more.
They don't have to worry anymore about the duration of the video. This is seen to be a top hit, especially for creators who always prefer longer-form clips.
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Previous TikTok Updates
In another story from Engadget on Wednesday, Dec. 14, TikTok has been drastically improving over the past months. Back in February, the video-viewing site modified the maximum length of a video from three to 10 minutes.
The following month, TikTok launched the SoundOn platform so artists can have a special place to upload their tracks and license them later.
The popularity of TikTok was evident in a July report from Tech Times where the platform was hailed as one of the most watched sites by teenagers.
On average, kids and teens spend over an hour or 91 minutes daily viewing videos on TikTok. It even surpassed YouTube when it comes to regular views.
It even reached the point where TikTok became a Google Search alternative for young users. About 40% of Gen Z TikTok users used the platform as a go-to tool when looking for new content/information online.
