TikTok is testing a brand new horizontal full display screen mode with choose customers globally, the corporate confirmed to TechCrunch. Customers who’ve entry to the check characteristic will see a brand new “full display screen” button seem on sq. or rectangle movies of their feed. When you click on the button, the video will shift right into a horizontal full display screen mode that takes benefit of all the actual property in your telephone.
The check characteristic marks one more means that TikTok is steadily inching into YouTube’s territory. Earlier this yr, TikTok rolled out the power for customers to upload videos up to 10 minutes in size. The transfer was seen as a means for TikTok to draw the identical type of longer-form video creators that usually submit content material on YouTube. With the growth, creators gained extra flexibility to movie issues like cooking demos, magnificence tutorials, instructional content material, comedy sketches and extra, with out having to fret an excessive amount of in regards to the video’s size.
Now that TikTok has been supporting long-form content material for awhile, it is smart for the corporate to boost the viewing expertise for customers who’re watching these types of movies, whereas additionally making the inventive expertise higher for creators. Oftentimes creators will add a “flip your telephone” message at the beginning of a video to get customers to completely benefit from the content material that’s about to play in the event that they recorded a video horizontally. With this characteristic, creators would not have to try this.
Picture Credit: Screenshot/TechCrunch
As with all check characteristic, it’s unknown when or if TikTok plans to launch the total display screen mode extensively to all customers. It’s additionally value noting that if TikTok does determine to launch the characteristic formally, the ultimate product could look totally different than the check product.
A method that TikTok might presumably change the characteristic earlier than an official roll out is by making it extra intuitive. You presently should click on the button to modify to full display screen mode, however perhaps sooner or later customers will simply have to show their telephone sideways to look at in full display screen, which is one thing that different apps enable customers to do.
The check characteristic comes at a time when data has shown that children and teenagers now spend extra time watching TikTok than YouTube. This has been the case since June 2020, when TikTok started to outrank YouTube by way of the common minutes per day folks ages 4 by way of 18 spent accessing these two aggressive video platforms. By enhancing its viewing expertise, TikTok is continuous to inch additional into YouTube’s territory.
However then again, YouTube can also be persevering with to rival TikTok with Shorts, its TikTok competitor. In September, YouTube announced major changes to its YouTube Accomplice Program, permitting creators to earn advert income on Shorts. Previous to this, no short-form video platform fairly found out learn how to share advert income, which provides Shorts a leg up on the competitors.
