TikTok is testing Snapchat-like Stories feature

While Twitter decided to remove the Fleets feature from the platform before 1 year was up, TikTok started testing the Stories format on the platform.

First discovered by Matt Navara, known for announcing hidden features, TikTok Stories will be another option like Stitch, LIVE, and Duets, not replace them. 

More screenshots of TikTok Stories pic.twitter.com/1PVfgJ9YWT

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) August 4, 2021

“We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience,” a TikTok spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Verge. “Currently we’re experimenting with ways to give creators additional formats to bring their creative ideas to life for the TikTok community.”

Looks like “TikTok Stories” will function just like Snapchat or Instagram Stories. Stories will be available via a newly added slide-over sidebar, where users’ will see stories posted by accounts they follow for 24 hours before they automatically disappear. Users will also be able to send reactions and comment to other’s stories which they reach by tapping on a user’s profile picture. 

As TikTok is a video-first social media platform, it appears that stories should be videos, not still images. In order to create a story with text, music, and captions on TikTok, users will click on a Create button which is located on the sidebar. 

TikTok didn’t provide any details on how long the pilot test would run or if it would result in a public launch. 

Stories, the disappearing content format that entered our lives with Snapchat, were copied by many social networks, especially Instagram, to create interaction on their platforms. Twitter Fleets, which shutted down recently, had been first announced in November 2020. Linkedin, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Netflix are among those that have copied and made available Snapchat-Stories feature.