TikTok has introduced group chats that let you send and receive messages with multiple people in group conversations for the first time, as well as video stickers.
TikTok already supports one-on-one messages, but now you can create group chats like Instagram, WhatsApp, and other social media platforms. At long last, you can share viral videos with multiple friends at once! Group chats support up to 32 people simultaneously. “Watch, comment, and react together in real-time, making every interaction more dynamic and connected,” TikTok said. There are several safety guardrails. For starters, group chats are off-limits to TikTok users aged between 13 and 15. If a particular group chat participant is harassing you, you can mute the user or block them. For other violations, TikTok lets you report an individual message or the entire group conversation. “We also limit the number of groups someone can create and the number of times a message can be forwarded,” TikTok said. TikTok published detailed instructions on using group chats.
Additionally, TikTok now supports stickers in direct messages. You can convert any TikTok video into a video sticker using a new Stickers feature, then share it with the community by uploading it to the Stickers Store (you must be 16+ years old). TikTok’s support page offers step-by-step instructions for how to create video stickers and manage them, retract a shared sticker from the store, delete ones you no longer need, and more.
Group chats and stickers are fine but unimpressive, as many messaging apps have supported stickers and group chats. Still, this is an interesting move because TikTok is a social media platform, not a messaging service per se. The company has been building more social features for quite some time now, so you never leave the app. The strategy seems to have worked well so far, for the most part. Many young users now buy products from their favorite brands through TikTok shops (with some red flags to avoid) and get their news from TikTok videos (although there are some issues with that).
Source: TikTok
