TikTok is working on extending the length of videos, which is currently three minutes. The new limit would be five to 10 minutes, according to expert Matt Navarra.
The three minutes were set in December 2020, but with the influx of content creators and increased competition, the app from Chinese company ByteDance hopes to offer better settings.
Navarre uploaded a screenshot explaining, “Upload longer video, up to five minutes in length from your device. Make sure you are using the latest version of TikTok before testing the feature.”
TikTok is testing a longer 5 minute video upload limit 🕺 🤳🏻 pic.twitter.com/qiRbJmHkma
— Matt Navarra (I quit X. Follow me on Threads) (@MattNavarra) August 25, 2021
The evolution of TikTok video time
The 9to5Mac portal indicated that some users can upload videos up to 10 minutes long. However, this is all under test, so neither the five nor the 10 minutes are definitive anymore.
TikTok started with quick videos of 9 to 15 seconds, expanding to the current three minutes. The app’s popularity among Generation Z, or Zoomers, is tremendous: these are the people born in the second half of the 1990s.
It is, quite simply, a social phenomenon that is only escalating.
Another change the short video app is working on is the implementation of TikTok Stories. With these, users will be able to share photos that disappear after 24 hours, as happens on Snapchat and Instagram.
There is no certain date to give the green light to the changes, neither the minutes nor the stories.
Two weeks ago it became known that the app of short videos became the most downloaded app worldwide, surpassing Facebook.
TikTok has now moved to the top spot, leaving Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger behind. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram follow the use of short videos driven by TikTok. The scheme is also repeated in YouTube Shorts. This is the strongest competition for the Chinese company ByteDance’s app, although they are still far away in the race.
Chuzen Kin, marketing manager at App Annie, an app market intelligence company, said: “TikTok’s total viewing time in the U.S. and U.K. is longer than YouTube, and short videos will continue to attract attention. In terms of content, music and comedies are increasingly popular.”
