In a bid to tackle YouTube, TikTok is revamping its desktop platform with the addition of a number of new options. The corporate announced on Thursday that its web-based expertise includes a new modular format, refreshed For You feed, a brand new Discover tab, immersive full-screen LIVE gaming streaming, and a floating participant.
The social community’s new net format includes a repositioned navigation bar that’s designed to permit for a extra immersive and distraction-free viewing expertise that’s extra in-line with the cellular model of TikTok.
As well as, sport streamers can now “go dwell” in portrait or panorama mode. Customers on desktop will see a horizontal view, whereas cellular customers will have the ability to merely rotate their telephones to additionally view in horizontal mode. With this variation, TikTok is coming for each Twitch’s and YouTube’s dominance within the sport streaming market.
TikTok can be introducing a brand new “Collections” characteristic that lets customers arrange their favourite movies into customized classes. The concept behind this characteristic is to make it simpler to search out and revisit saved content material at a later time.
As an example, you would group your entire favourite recipe movies into one assortment, whereas organizing your favourite DIY video into one other. The characteristic is much like YouTube’s “Playlists” characteristic that additionally allows you to save movies to revisit them.
Desktop customers can now additionally entry a floating participant solely on Google Chrome. The versatile floating window retains TikTok seen on high of different home windows, permitting customers to multitask whereas nonetheless watching content material. It’s value noting that it’s been attainable to do that with YouTube movies for fairly a while now.
TikTok has introduced the in-app “Discover” web page to desktop, as properly, permitting customers to view a curated assortment of content material based mostly on their pursuits.
“Our customers work together with TikTok in many alternative methods, which is why we’re excited to introduce these net app updates,” mentioned Cody Puckett, Product Supervisor at TikTok, in a weblog publish. “By enhancing our desktop capabilities, we purpose to carry TikTok’s handheld magic on desktop, offering an interesting expertise with better flexibility so you may get pleasure from TikTok anytime, wherever. As TikTok evolves, we stay dedicated to innovating for our neighborhood and making certain the platform is accessible for all.”
Whereas TikTok is called a mobile-first platform, it is sensible for the corporate to make desktop viewing extra handy for its customers because it continues to problem YouTube, and now Twitch.
TikTok says over a billion individuals worldwide use TikTok for leisure and discovery, and that it’s all the time exploring methods to boost its platform and meet the altering wants of its customers.