TikTok has confirmed a pilot test of Stories—a feature that enables you to post content that disappears after 24 hours. TikTok Stories, is being fashioned after those of Snapchat and Instagram.
The test, which has been on for only a couple of days now, is currently only limited to a handful of users in the US. It is a feature that is coming to stay—and will work along with the existing storytelling tools like Duets, Live, and Stitch.
The test was uncovered by social media expert Matt Navarra. Coming at a time when Twitter was pulling the plug on its Fleets—its own Stories version. TikTok’s version of Stories is not too dissimilar to what other social media platforms offer.
You can tap a camera button from the new navigation bar on the left side of the screen to create your first Story. You can avail yourself of the common tools to add text or stickers, or insert sounds, or use effects on your content. TikTok’s Stories allows you to record both audio and video content the same way it is done on Snapchat and Instagram.
Do we know for sure how long the test would last? Of course, not; but we do know that the possibility of a global launch is on the high side considering how popular ephemeral features are.
According to data from Sensor Tower, the TikTok app was the most downloaded in the month of June. Among an impressive list of popular apps like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Zoom, TikTok came first.
It was a list only containing non-gaming apps—and TikTok was downloaded more than 65 million times in the month of June. Douyin in China ranked first among countries that installed TikTok in June with 13 percent of the total figure, while Indonesia came second with 12 percent.
Facebook came second with 52 million installs in the month of June. Countries with the largest number of Facebook installs in the month in review were India with 28 percent, and the US with a distant 7 percent. Other apps in the top 5 were Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
A recent survey has shown that TikTok is one of the most attractive options for brands. The survey which was carried out by Adweek, showed that the Chinese-owned short video sharing platform is fast “becoming a significant source of sales for brands.”
