TikTok Revamps Desktop Platform to Compete with YouTube

TikTok Enhances Desktop Experience to Compete with YouTube and Twitch

TikTok is actively working to challenge YouTube’s dominance by significantly updating its desktop platform. The company announced on Thursday the introduction of several new features designed to improve the web-based user experience.

New Features and Layout Changes

The updates include a redesigned modular layout, a refreshed “For You” feed, a dedicated “Explore” tab, immersive full-screen LIVE gaming streams, and a convenient floating player. These additions aim to provide a more comprehensive and engaging experience for desktop users.

The social media network’s revamped web layout features a repositioned navigation bar. This change is intended to create a more immersive and less distracting viewing environment, mirroring the functionality of the mobile app.

Enhanced Live Streaming Capabilities

Game streamers now have the option to broadcast “LIVE” content in either portrait or landscape mode. Desktop viewers will experience a horizontal view, while mobile users can rotate their devices for a similar horizontal perspective. This move directly positions TikTok as a competitor to both Twitch and YouTube in the live gaming market.

Introducing “Collections” for Organized Viewing

TikTok is introducing a new “Collections” feature, enabling users to categorize and organize their favorite videos. This functionality simplifies the process of finding and revisiting saved content.

For example, users can create a dedicated collection for recipe videos or another for DIY projects. This feature is comparable to YouTube’s “Playlists” functionality, offering a similar way to curate and revisit preferred videos.

Floating Player for Multitasking

Desktop users utilizing Google Chrome can now access a floating player. This flexible window keeps TikTok visible above other applications, allowing for seamless multitasking while continuing to enjoy content. Similar functionality has been available for YouTube videos for some time.

Expanded “Explore” Page

The in-app “Explore” page has been extended to desktop, providing users with access to a curated selection of content tailored to their interests.

TikTok’s Vision for Desktop

“Our users interact with TikTok in diverse ways, which is why we’re excited to introduce these web app updates,” stated Cody Puckett, a product manager at TikTok, in a recent blog post. “By improving our desktop capabilities, we aim to replicate TikTok’s mobile experience on desktop, offering an engaging experience with increased flexibility, allowing you to enjoy TikTok anytime, anywhere.”

TikTok remains dedicated to innovation and ensuring platform accessibility as it continues to evolve and cater to its community.

Challenging the Status Quo

While TikTok is primarily recognized as a mobile-first platform, enhancing desktop viewing convenience is a logical step as the company strives to compete with YouTube and Twitch. Despite leading the short-form video market, TikTok still trails YouTube in overall user base, with YouTube boasting 2.5 billion active users.

Expanding Video Lengths

Over the past few years, TikTok has been progressively increasing the maximum video length supported on its platform. The platform has even tested uploads of up to 60 minutes in duration. Initially supporting videos from 15 to 60 seconds, TikTok now permits users to publish videos up to 10 minutes long.

Improvements for Long-Form Content

TikTok has also implemented video-scrubbing thumbnails and tested horizontal full-screen mode on mobile devices. Both of these features are designed to improve the viewing experience for longer-form content.

TikTok reports that over one billion people globally utilize the platform for entertainment and discovery, and the company is continuously exploring ways to enhance its features and adapt to the evolving needs of its user base.