TikTok has begun experimenting with even longer-form content. A new test spotted in the wild enables longer five-minute TikTok video uploads for a small group of users.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- TikTok is letting some folks upload videos up to 5 minutes long
- Some TikTok testers are even able to upload 10-minute videos
- Recently, the app extended video length from 1 to 3 minutes
TikTok caught testing five-minute video uploads
Social media commentator Matt Navarra shared screenshots showing what appears to be a splash screen announcing an upcoming new feature: longer video uploads up to five minutes.
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“Upload videos up to five minutes long from your device,” it reads. “Make sure you’re using the latest version of TikTok before trying out the feature on your app or tiktok.com.” TikTok began rolling out three-minute uploads in December, and these took six months to reach all users.
TikTok is testing a longer 5 minute video upload limit 🕺 🤳🏻 pic.twitter.com/qiRbJmHkma
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) August 25, 2021
No matter how you look at it, it is unusual for a company to be testing an even higher ceiling for video uploads right after it extended video length from 60 seconds to three minutes.
But TikTok may already be experimenting with even longer-form videos.
Some people can upload TikTok videos up to ten minutes long
A screenshot Navarra shared suggests TikTok may be looking beyond five-minute videos, with a person shown scrubbing through an almost eight-minute video on TikTok. It’s not unusual for companies to test multiple variations of the same feature.
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But just because TikTok is experimenting with ten-minute videos, too, doesn’t necessarily mean that ten-minute videos will launch globally. But given that Instagram Reels recently bumped video lentgh from 15 to 60 seconds, TikTok is wise to introduce longer videos.
Our take: The Instagram-ification of TikTok has begun
It seems to us that TikTok’s goal here is to become the next Instagram faster than Instagram can rip off some of its best features. As an example, TikTok is readying its clone of Snapchat Stories that lets you share auto-vanishing photos.
At the same time, Instagram search is getting more visual in the future with a TikTok-like grid that more prominently features relevant photos and videos in search results.
EVEN LONGER: TikTok also appears to be testing a 10 minute max upload limit! 👀👇 https://t.co/oAaHbB9304 https://t.co/wDIoHJdOCl
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) August 25, 2021
Also, Instagram is returning the swipe-up in favor of a new linking sticker that anyone can use in stories, not just verified accounts. In fact, it was no other than Instagram head Adam Mosseri who promised to turn Instagram into a fullscreen, mobile-first experience akin to TikTok.