TikTok’s newest update will make watching videos on the app more like watching YouTube. Today, individuals spend roughly 2.5 hours on social media daily. Since online social networking is conditioned to be an integral part of people’s lives, users gravitate to more user-friendly and accessible apps. TikTok has been the only serious challenger to YouTube’s dominance in the video industry for years. Still, TikTok is famous for its short-form videos, whereas YouTube thrives on long-form.
With TikTok’s new full screen mode, long-form content will be easier to view. The entertainment app is taking things to the next level to compete with YouTube. Earlier this year, TikTok took a large step away from its signature micro-content by allowing users to upload ten-minute videos. By rolling out this update, TikTok evened the playing field with YouTube’s TikTok clone, Shorts. One challenge getting in TikTok’s way was the orientation of its display. Because the footage is meant to appear vertically in selfie mode, it doesn’t make wide-displayed footage easy to upload or watch. Luckily ByteDance developers have been testing out ways to tackle this issue.
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Posting Horizontal Videos On TikTok
Users have two ways they can upload full screen content on TikTok. The first is for users who recorded content outside the app. Simply open TikTok, press the + to begin a new recording and press ‘Upload’ to the right of the record button. Now choose the video and tap ‘Next.’ If the video were created with a wide shot, the video would fit the middle of the screen with black padding across the top and bottom. Users will still be able to add any additional post-editing features before posting.
The second way is by recording in the app, which many users prefer due to TikTok’s wide options of filters and effects. Start a new recording and film footage by holding the camera horizontally. Tap the checkmark to continue to the post-editing screen. Select the ‘Adjust Clips’ from the tab on the right and then choose the ‘Rotate’ option. Tap the button until the footage is oriented in the desired position, and tap ‘Save.’ The video will include the same black padding for the TikTok to fit the screen.
Watching Full Screen Videos On TikTok
With TikTok’s Full Screen viewing, viewers can watch TikTok at their device’s full display size. The app will provide a ‘Full Screen’ button when users come across specific videos. Once activated, the video will open in a new window, like YouTube. The user will have a better experience watching TikTok and have the same sharing options on the right.
This feature is still in testing, so only some users have access to it now. Like all such tests, it’s possible TikTok could decide not to roll the feature out to all users in the end. Social media companies often test new features among select groups of users or in certain regions only before introducing them widely to everyone. Sometimes, though, they decide to pull the plug before a public release instead, if the feature proved to be buggy or wasn’t received well by the test group.
Those who were able to demo this upcoming functionality also noticed another possible new TikTok feature. Next to the typical sharing menu is a 1x button. A new menu allows users to slow down or speed up the footage when activated. Users can anticipate these features among others, although the ByteDance company has yet to state when TikTok will roll these updates out across all devices. Given TikTok’s popularity, users are anxious to see what the app will offer in the future.
Sources: Matt Navarra / Twitter
