Amazon-owned Twitch.tv has rolled out a new update for its mobile app which revamped the experience for users in streaming their favorite creators, but it is similarly looking to the renowned platform, TikTok. Previously, Twitch offered a standard streaming platform layout like what YouTube and Vimeo offer, but the company decided to move out of the traditional and into the new.
The vertical-oriented feed of the new Twitch mobile app is significantly reminiscent of what TikTok popularized over the past five years.
Twitch Mobile App Revamp Offers TikTok-Like Feed
Twitch
A new TikTok clone has appeared, and this is with Twitch's latest revamp of its mobile app which now offers a feed of recommended clips and streams for easier navigation of its platform experience. The company said that Twitch mobile has seen a massive trend over the past months as users mainly use their handheld devices and this revamp is the key to optimizing more of their usage.
Twitch revealed that this redesign is aimed at making users' lives easier by allowing them to find content on the platform easily, with a familiar experience to TikTok.
Additionally, users can now navigate the app by using their thumbs to find applicable content, easily skipping those that they are not interested in.
It was revealed by Twitch that users would see the main feed of recommended videos based on their interests, similar to the algorithmic experience of TikTok's For You feed. Users only have to scroll up or down to skip or go back to said videos, with the Twitch feed offering a mix of clips and live video streams, and clicking on live would have them join the real-time showcase of a creator.
TikTok's Copycats and What They Offer
From the horizontal or "HD" format, the social media world and tech landscape have greatly changed thanks to ByteDance's TikTok which popularized the vertical video format. During the peak of TikTok's fame and amidst the pandemic, the world saw another Chinese developer attempting to clone the famed platform, with the app known as Zynn.
That being said, TikTok's American rivals have also gone on their way to deliver the vertical video format to users, with Meta introducing the Facebook and Instagram Reels.
On the other hand, Google also had its take on this new social media streaming experience when it delivered YouTube Shorts to the world.
Despite all of the developments looking to rival TikTok in the tech landscape, the Chinese-owned app still retained its dominance and the top spot, but that does not mean that vertical videos are no longer the trend. Twitch may be a little late in catching up to its streaming rivals but its new mobile app offers the vertical scrolling experience for users, eerily similar to TikTok.
