TikTok initially allowed users to record and post 15-second clips, which it later extended to a minute.
Short-form video app TikTok will introduce an option over the next few weeks to let users on its platform create longer videos of up to three minutes.
In a blog post, TikTok product manager Drew Kirchhoff said the decision was based on feedback they have received from users.
“We often hear from creators that they’d love just a little more time to bring their cooking demos, elaborate beauty tutorials, educational lesson plans and comedic sketches to life with TikTok’s creative tools,” he said. “With longer videos, creators will have the canvas to create new or expanded types of content on TikTok, with the flexibility of a bit more space.”
Longer videos will pave the way for “even richer storytelling and entertainment,” Kirchhoff said, also saying that the app has been trialling the new format with select users.
“We’ve been letting creators around the world experiment with the expanded format. Creators are already well-versed in weaving multi-part stories together. With longer videos, [they] will have the canvas to create new or expanded types of content with the flexibility of a bit more space.”
TikTok’s latest announcement comes a day after Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the photo-sharing app would soon begin experimenting with making short, entertaining videos a more central part of the Instagram experience.
“Let’s be honest, there’s some really serious competition right now. TikTok is huge. YouTube is even bigger,” he said.
The success of TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, has also prompted many social media companies to add short-video services to their platforms, with Facebook Inc’s Instagram launching short video clips, known as reels, as well as Snap Inc’s Snapchat rolling out “Spotlight” last November.
