TikTok is to ditch its three minute limit on videos and will soon allow all users to upload clips up to 10 minutes long, the Chinese social network has confirmed.
It brought in the existing limit in July 2021, upping it from 60 seconds, having initially expanded it from the original 15 seconds
The app has long been seen as a short-form video platform but is now manoeuvring itself to rival the likes of YouTube, Instagram and Facebook even more.
The expanded video length will allow TikTok users more flexibility when filming clips such as beauty tutorials, cooking demos and comedic sketches.
Currently anyone creating clips has to encourage viewers to follow them for a ‘Part 2’ or longer video.
Update: TikTok is to ditch its three minute limit on videos and will soon allow all users to upload clips up to 10 minutes long, the Chinese social network has confirmed
‘We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience,’ a TikTok spokesperson told MailOnline.
‘Last year, we introduced longer videos, giving our community more time to create and be entertained on TikTok.
‘Today, we’re excited to start rolling out the ability to upload videos that are up to 10 minutes, which we hope would unleash even more creative possibilities for our creators around the world.’
Users have been notified of the update with an in-app message that reads: ‘Upload videos up to 10 minutes long from your device.
‘Make sure you’re using the latest version of TikTok before trying out the feature on your app tiktok.com.’
YouTube, which raked in $28.8 billion (£21.5 billion) in ad revenue in 2021, responded to TikTok’s growth by launching its own short-form video rival, YouTube Shorts, in 2020 while Instagram also released its own clone called Instagram Reels.
Snapchat offers what it calls Spotlight.
However, experts say longer-form content is generally ‘easier to monetise and keeps people on the platform longer.’
Last year TikTok was revealed to be the world’s most popular online destination, surpassing even the American search engine giant Google.
Rankings by the IT security company Cloudfare revealed that TikTok knocked Google off the top spot in February, March and June 2021, and held the number one position from August to the end of the year.
In 2020, Google was first ahead of Amazon, TikTok, Apple, Facebook, Netflix and Microsoft, all of whom were in the top 10.
The new 10-minute limit has received mixed reviews on Twitter, with many saying they’d refuse to watch a 10 minute video on the platform.
One user tweeted: ‘I’m blocking anyone that makes a 10 minute tiktok. I already can’t pay attention to the 3 minute ones.’
Another added: ‘Just make a youtube channel. why do we need 10 minute videos on tiktok.’
And one joked: ‘If someone sends me a 10 minute tiktok, that person is outta my life forever.’
The app has long been seen as a short-form video platform but is now manoeuvring itself to rival the likes of YouTube, Instagram and Facebook even more
The latest TikTok announcement comes three months after it emerged the social network is to take on Deliveroo with a new food delivery service called TikTok Kitchen that has menu items based on viral videos.
Set to launch in the US this month, it will allow customers to order dishes that were originally created by TikTok users in their short video posts.
These include baked feta pasta, corn ribs and ‘pasta chips’ — cooked pasta shapes coated in cheese and air-fried, perfect for dipping.
TikTok Kitchen will be a ‘virtual restaurant’ that serves customers exclusively by delivery and pick-up from orders placed online and over the phone, the app said.
