Although TikTok is generally considered a video-sharing app, it is now poised to directly challenge WhatsApp.
Yes, indeed, the world’s most popular messaging app might face a new rival in the form of TikTok.
TikTok has announced two major updates related to messaging on its social media platform: group chats and stickers.
Currently, one-on-one messaging is possible on TikTok, but now this video-sharing app can also be used for group chats.
TikTok has also introduced new location feeds. According to the company, users will now be able to create groups on TikTok, and each group chat can include up to 32 people.
Everyone in the group will be able to chat, share videos, and comment on those videos.
However, the group chat feature will not be available for users aged 13 to 15, while teens aged 16 to 17 will be able to use the group chat feature but will face some restrictions.
Users in this age group can only be added to a group chat by their friends (meaning both must follow each other).
If a link to join a group chat is sent to a teen, they will not be able to join the group until one of their friends is already a member of that group.
To give users more control, TikTok will provide access to mute and block tools for all members of any chat group.
Similarly, users will be able to report individual messages or an entire group if they violate the platform’s policies.
TikTok is also introducing stickers for direct messages.
According to the company, users will be able to create their own stickers to share with others on TikTok, or they can search for their favorite stickers to use in messages and videos while chatting with friends.
