TikTok is the latest in a long line of new social media apps that has become wildly popular with teens and people in their early twenties. If you’re not familiar with it, chances are good that your kids or grandkids are. Launched in September 2016 by Chinese company ByteDance as Douyin, it became TikTok in 2018 when it merged with another app called Musical.ly. The combined service attracted 500 million users almost overnight, making it the most downloaded free iOS app in the U.S. and Europe during the first half of 2018. Social media management agency now manages Tiktok for running their ads.
TikTok is a video-sharing platform where users can create 15-second videos and have access to thousands of songs, special effects and other features. As with every app on this list, there are some privacy issues you should be aware of before signing up for any new service.
TikTok, the platform that was once called Musical.ly, has exploded in popularity with teenagers and young adults. The short-form video app allows users to upload videos up to one minute long to create shareable content.
It has become a popular way for influencers and celebrities to connect with a younger audience, and it’s not just for dance challenges anymore. If you want to get started on the app, here’s what you need to know about getting started on TikTok:
Make sure your phone can run the app. The TikTok app takes up about 148 MB on Android phones and over 150 MB on iPhones. It will also eat up battery life when you’re using it, so if you have an older phone model, it might not be able to run the app without experiencing issues.
Use hashtags to boost your profile’s visibility. A lot of people follow certain hashtags so they can see all posts related to their interests. Using these hashtags can help earn more views for your content, which could lead to more followers and likes.
TikTok is a popular social media app that lets users create 15-second videos. The app is available on iOS and Android and is also accessible online.
The app has surged in popularity across all age groups, though it remains especially popular among younger users. As of February 2019, TikTok was the most downloaded non-game app in the world, surpassing heavyweights like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
What Is TikTok?
When the massively popular app Musical.ly was acquired and merged with a Chinese-developed video app called Douyin and rebranded as TikTok, a star was born.
TikTok has since become one of the world’s most downloaded apps, along with Facebook and WhatsApp. As of April 2019, it had over 1 billion global installs and has been downloaded more than 45 million times in the U.S., according to data from mobile market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
The Basics: How Does It Work?
Users can watch an endless feed of videos or choose to follow specific accounts. You can also upload your own videos (which can be edited before going live) or live stream content directly from your phone’s camera.
TikTok, the mobile video app that’s all the rage with teens, is raising privacy concerns with its coming U.S. launch.
The Chinese-owned company said it will be introducing a new version of TikTok’s American app next week , one that will store U.S. user data on American servers and not in China, where it says it’s subject to Chinese law.
The redesign is aimed at alleviating some privacy concerns about the app’s potential for spying on users — a charge TikTok denies but one that has generated bipartisan calls from Capitol Hill for more scrutiny of how the company handles data . TikTok also said it won’t transfer user data from the U.S. to China without consent from users or outside legal requirements. Read more about the basics of Tiktok.