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What is TikTok Now?
Like most social platforms, TikTok is evolving with the times. And yes, this means taking a look at other platforms and taking inspiration from their success. TikTok’s latest feature, ‘TikTok Now’, has been knocked for being a copycat of the newer social app, BeReal.
In case you missed it, BeReal is the latest Gen Z obsession. Invented in 2020, BeReal really took off this year, with app downloads rising by 315% since the beginning of the year. Promoting unedited, in-the-moment content, BeReal found appeal with people fed up with the carefully curated content they see on other platforms; they wanted something real.
But is this feature actually the same as the BeReal concept? First things first, let’s check out how it works…
Users receive a daily prompt to take a 10-second video or photo to share what they’re up to. In a similar way to BeReal, you can’t see other people’s posts until you’ve shared your own and if you post it after the first three minutes it will be labelled as late. The image or video captures both the front and back camera simultaneously. Using both cameras is something that BeReal practically invented, but the key difference is, on TikTok you can shoot video content. After all, short-from video content is what they’re all about.
Here’s what TikTok themselves had to say about the new feature…
“We’re always looking to create seamless ways for our community to build authentic connections as they continue to be entertained on TikTok. TikTok Now is rolling out to people worldwide over the coming weeks… We’re excited to learn from our community and continue to improve, enrich, and expand on the TikTok experience.”
TikTok has also announced that in some regions, TikTok Now may be available as a new TikTok Now app. Will they roll the app out to more regions? We’ll have to wait and see.
For most users, TikTok now will be embedded into the app as an additional feature, found on the toolbar next to the home icon. If you’re not into it, you can turn off your TikTok Now notifications and you’ll probably forget it’s even there. To do so, all you have to do is go onto your TikTok profile, click the three lines in the top right and tap ‘settings and privacy’. Once you’re there, go down to ‘push notifications’ until you reach the ‘TikTok Now’ section where you can just turn the toggle to grey.
Love it or hate it, TikTok Now has arrived and it’s here to challenge BeReal’s formerly unique appeal.
