The uber-popular short-video platform TikTok has started testing the ephemeral Stories format to rival Instagram. Dubbed as TikTok Stories, the new feature allows creators to post short videos that disappear after 24-hours automatically. It’s similar to how stories work on other social platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat offer users.
The new TikTok Stories feature was spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, who took to Twitter to share the news. Later, the company confirmed to The Verge that it has started testing the feature. It is currently available to a select few users.
Now, TikTok Stories work like the Stories format on any other platform. Accessible by a right swipe on the home feed, it allows users to share bite-sized content with various interactive elements on TikTok. And it automatically gets deleted after a day. Users can tap the newly-added “Create” button on the left sidebar to create and share a Story. They can also add captions, music, and text to their Stories to make them more fun and interactive.
Furthermore, users can go to the profiles of content creators to check out their Stories. They can also react and comment on Stories before they are deleted after the 24-hour period. However, unlike WhatsApp or Instagram, TikTok Stories allows users to share videos and not still images.
“We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience. Currently, we’re experimenting with ways to give creators additional formats to bring their creative ideas to life for the TikTok community,” a spokesperson stated in a statement to The Verge. Here’s what the Tiktok Stories flow looks like:
The Stories format, for those unaware, has become one of the top cloned features since it debuted on Snapchat back in 2013. Following the inception, several companies including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and even Twitter added the ephemeral format to their platforms. However, we recently saw Twitter shut down its Stories feature called Fleets from August 3.
Coming to availability, TikTok Stories is currently available for a select few users on the platform. Nonetheless, going by Twitter posts, it appears to be available to a substantial amount of content creators on TikTok. However, it is not yet confirmed when or if TikTok will roll out the feature to the masses in the future. Moreover, the Stories functionality might garner more users on the platform as it is looking to re-enter India and resolve its issues with the US government.
Featured Image Courtesy: Matt Navarra (Twitter)
