The popular short-video social media app TikTok is testing a new feature…
The post TikTok videos may soon become longer than the current one minute limit appeared first on Pocketnow.
The popular short-video social media app TikTok is testing a new feature…
The post TikTok videos may soon become longer than the current one minute limit appeared first on Pocketnow.
A former Google engineer who worked on YouTube’s algorithm has revealed that TikTok works very similarly, although it can be more extreme than YouTube.
The post How TikTok works, insights into its algorithm appeared first on Pocketnow.
President Joe Biden had revoked a number of executive orders from former…
The post President Biden revokes ban on TikTok and WeChat appeared first on Pocketnow.
Check out the latest changes to TikTok's privacy policy that will now allow it to collect biometric data from its users
The post TikTok is really bad with privacy: how it collects face and voice data appeared first on Pocketnow.
Report shows that more than 40 percent of children are being exposed to sexual abuse on social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and more
The post This is why your kids shouldn’t be on TikTok, Facebook and more appeared first on Pocketnow.
TikTok has introduced a new feature that gives a huge boost to the accessibility aspect on its platform – auto captions. As the name makes it abundantly clears, users with hearing impairment will now be able to see automatically generated captions for videos they’re watching. The new trick will also come in handy for regular users when it comes to watching videos in scenarios where they can’t turn on the volume.
To show captions on a video, creators have to enable the automatic captioning feature after they’ve uploaded their video. The aforementioned option appears on the editing page, where creators can also edit the automatically generated captions to more accurately represent what is being said in their videos. TikTok says that captions are a part of videos, however, viewers will have the option to turn them off or on.
In order to turn off these automatically generated captions, open the share panel, tap on the new captions button and select the off option. Auto captions currently offer support only for English and Japanese. However, TikTok says it is working to add support for more languages so that it can be helpful for users speaking varied languages from all across the world in the coming months.
The new auto-captioning feature will complement the text-to-speech feature that is already accessible to users. A few other accessibility features that are available on TikTok include the ability to show warning for content that may trigger a photosensitive epilepsy response as well as the ability to filter out such content and prevent it from appearing in your content feed.
However, TikTok’s archrival Instagram is also testing its own version of automatic video captioning. The Facebook-owned company confirmed last week that automatic captioning is currently being tested internally, but there is no word when it will be released widely for all users. Zoom recently made its auto-captioning feature free for all users, while Google’s Live Captions feature is already available widely, even for audio and video calls on Pixel phones.
The post TikTok gets auto captions – A feature Instagram is already busy replicating appeared first on Pocketnow.
Irrespective of whether you’re a TikTok stan or an Instagram fan from its early days, there is something that users of both platforms can agree upon – Instagram has been ripping off TikTok and its popular features for a while now. Instagram recently mimicked TikTok’s short-form video format and created Reels. And now, Instagram is copying the Duet feature from TikTok and is adding it to Reels under a different name. Instagram is calling this ‘new’ feature Remix.
If you’re unfamiliar, Duet allows users to react to another video by posting their own video side-by-side. Instagram is replicating the same formula with Remix for Reels. “Now you can use the Remix feature in Reels to create your own reel next to one that already exists,” says the Facebook-owned company.
More on how to use it pic.twitter.com/IQaRtH4pUN
— Instagram (@instagram) March 31, 2021
In order to create a Remix, open on a Reels video, tap on the menu (three-dot icon in the top-right corner) and then select Remix This Reel option from the window that pops up. Now, you’ll see a vertical side-by-side layout of the original Reel and your own view on the right to record your reaction. You can add background audio, use creative effects and alter the playback speed among other things while creating a Remix.
However, a creator has to allow remixing their Reels for others to create a Remix of it. Users can Remix their own Reels, but they can’t do the same with a video that is already a Remix. In case someone creates a Remix of your Reel, Instagram will notify you about the same. Moreover, Remixes of your Reels will get deleted if you set your account to Private type for more than 24 hours.
A weird caveat is that if someone has created a Remix of your Reel, they can download the video. However, you can’t download that Remix video. Also, if you disable remixing of your Reels, all remixes created before you changed the settings will continue to exist on Instagram, unless you delete your original Reel. You can check out the detailed instruction on how you can enable or disable remixing of your Reels on the official support page.
The post Instagram clones another viral TikTok feature for Reels, which itself is a copycat appeared first on Pocketnow.
With each passing quarter, TikTok sets a new growth benchmark, filling its coffers with more money and making lucrative deals riding a wave of unprecedented growth. Sounds familiar to what giants like Instagram once enjoyed? Well, TikTok is following in the footsteps a little too well, and the best example of that ‘inspiration’ is a privacy policy update around ads that will force users to watch personalized ads starting.
READ MORE: TikTok will ask users to reconsider before they post offensive commentsShocking! Starts April 15 -> TikTok says most users will be unable to opt out of personalized ads starting April 15; users in the European Union will be exempted due to GDPR https://t.co/yTUaU8Y91S pic.twitter.com/giJ3qKQVpb
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) March 17, 2021
TikTok users have started seeing a new notification when they open the app, telling them about a change in the ad settings that will show them ads based on their activity on TikTok. Previously, users were able to opt out of seeing personalized ads based on their in-app activity.
Well, personalized ads are served in two ways – based on your TikTok activity and based on user data collected by advertisers. So far, TikTok users could opt out of both. Starting April 15, you won’t be able to block ads shown to you based on your TikTok activity. However, TikTok will still give you a choice if you want to see ads based on user data accessible to its advertising partners.
“Our goal is to help businesses reach the people they care about in a creative and meaningful way, while also respecting the privacy of our users,” a TikTok spokesperson was quoted as saying by Recode. It appears that TikTok wants to set things straight about its tracking and ad policies with users before Apple’s updated rules in iOS 14 go live, forcing each app to ask users for explicit permission when it comes to tracking them for showing targeted ads.
The post TikTok will force personalized ads on users starting April 15 appeared first on Pocketnow.
As part of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 22-28), social media apps are teaming up with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) to provide support and resources to people who are dealing with eating disorders. Both TikTok and Instagram are marking National Eating Disorders Awareness Week with features to encourage body inclusivity. Additionally, Instagram is adding links to local helplines in Australia, Canada and the UK.
On Instagram, if someone tries to share said content or if their friends see them post something concerning, they will see the same set of resources. The platform will enable users to contact their friends for support from the resource landing page. Further, the company will continue to blur out content it thinks may trigger someone with an eating disorder.
Moreover, Pinterest has announced that it will help raise awareness and build communities of support and recovery for those in need. Pinterest will be donating ad credits to encourage people to tune into NEDAwareness Week events and the different roundtables taking place. Furthermore, Story Pins will also be used to generate awareness on the platform, along with a feature educating Pinners about eating disorders communication and recovery on the Today Tab.
On TikTok, if someone searches for terms like “eating disorder,” “edrecovery” (eating disorder recovery), or “proana” (pro-anorexia), they will get a link to support resources along with NEDA contact details. TikTok has developed advice alongside experts on eating disorders on “how to identify negative self-talk, think about one’s own positive attributes and strengths or support a friend who may be struggling.” and will offer them to users. Furthermore, NEDA has teamed up with TikTok to create public service announcements, which will appear on pages for hashtags such as #whatieatinaday, #emotionaleatingtips, #bingerecovery. These will also include contact details for NEDA.
The post Tiktok, Instagram, Pinterest add features to support those with eating disorders appeared first on Pocketnow.
TikTok is on the rise, and despite a host of setbacks and intense scrutiny over privacy fears lately, the viral short-form video-sharing app continues to reach new milestones. Now, the company is partnering with Ultimate Fighting Championship, popularly known as UFC to fans – the world’s top mixed martial arts promotion company – in a multi-year deal that will see TikTok produce exclusive content.
In a press release, the social media juggernaut announced that it will offer exclusive livestream content following its partnership with UFC. The scope of exclusive UFC content offered by TikTok includes weekly livestreams with access to pre-and post-fight content, behind-the-scenes footage, and engagement with UFC athletes. The TikTok-exclusive content will be delivered via the official UFC TikTok handle (@UFC), as well as @UFCRussia, @UFCBrasil, and @UFCEurope.
“With more than 6.3 million followers on TikTok, @UFC has become the third most-followed sports league since joining the platform in October 2019. Building on this momentum, UFC will dedicate resources at their Las Vegas headquarters to provide the TikTok community with unprecedented access and bring them closer to UFC than ever before.” |
The first fruit of TikTok’s multi-year deal with UFC will arrive this week covering the upcoming UFC FIGHT NIGHT: BLAYDES vs. LEWIS event that will kick off on February 20. The event, which goes live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, will have some exclusive content for TikTok’s audience.
“This collaboration is a great way to drive awareness to our tent pole live events while delivering compelling content to our fans, 24/7,” said David Shaw, who is UFC’s Senior Vice President of International and Content.
UFC signed a multi-year broadcast deal with ESPN worth over a billion dollars not too long ago, and continues to milk some serious cash from its live events that regularly attract a high-profile audience with some big names occupying seats in the front row. With the TikTok deal, UFC can now tap into the viral popularity of TikTok and bring its content to a whole new audience comprising mostly of youngsters.
The post TikTok inks multi-year deal with UFC to produce exclusive content appeared first on Pocketnow.
ByteDance is said to be in talks to sell its India operations of TikTok in a bid to rival unicorn Glance. According to a new report, the company is in discussions with Japan’s SoftBank Group conglomerate. As per the sources, the talks are private as well as early and complex. For the unaware, SoftBank is a backer of Glance’s parent InMobi Pte as well as TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance.
As per a new report from Bloomberg, ByteDance is in talks with SoftBank conglomerate to sell its TikTok India assets. The talks involve four sides including SoftBank, ByteDance, Glance, and the Indian authorities, which will decide the fate of the deal. The report goes on to say that SoftBank has been attempting to salvage TikTok’s India assets. Further, it has been hunting for local partners.
If the talks progress, it will require the Indian government to authorise the sale. It is likely to insist that user data and technology of TikTok stay within the Indian borders. That’s because, India-China relationship hasn’t been very well lately. The relations between New Delhi and Beijing remain strained. The sources said that India will make no allowances for China-based technology companies. Furthermore, any sale of TikTok could need approval from Chinese authorities.
TikTok’s potential partner, Bangalore-headquartered Glance Digital Experience is a mobile content platform. Glance has a TikTok competitor named Roposo, which has seen a massive growth after the TikTok ban in India.
In June last year, The Indian government’s Ministry of Information Technology banned a total of 59 Chinese apps in the country, which also included the famous short-video sharing app TikTok. It also banned the likes of CamScanner, Shareit, Mobile Legends, UC Browser, and Weibo. Later, PUBG Mobile suffered the same fate. The press release claimed that these apps pose a threat to national security and public order, and are ‘prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India’.
The post ByteDance might sell Indian TikTok assets appeared first on Pocketnow.
ByteDance is said to be in talks to sell its India operations of TikTok in a bid to rival unicorn Glance. According to a new report, the company is in discussions with Japan’s SoftBank Group conglomerate. As per the sources, the talks are private as well as early and complex. For the unaware, SoftBank is a backer of Glance’s parent InMobi Pte as well as TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance.
As per a new report from Bloomberg, ByteDance is in talks with SoftBank conglomerate to sell its TikTok India assets. The talks involve four sides including SoftBank, ByteDance, Glance, and the Indian authorities, which will decide the fate of the deal. The report goes on to say that SoftBank has been attempting to salvage TikTok’s India assets. Further, it has been hunting for local partners.
If the talks progress, it will require the Indian government to authorise the sale. It is likely to insist that user data and technology of TikTok stay within the Indian borders. That’s because, India-China relationship hasn’t been very well lately. The relations between New Delhi and Beijing remain strained. The sources said that India will make no allowances for China-based technology companies. Furthermore, any sale of TikTok could need approval from Chinese authorities.
TikTok’s potential partner, Bangalore-headquartered Glance Digital Experience is a mobile content platform. Glance has a TikTok competitor named Roposo, which has seen a massive growth after the TikTok ban in India.
In June last year, The Indian government’s Ministry of Information Technology banned a total of 59 Chinese apps in the country, which also included the famous short-video sharing app TikTok. It also banned the likes of CamScanner, Shareit, Mobile Legends, UC Browser, and Weibo. Later, PUBG Mobile suffered the same fate. The press release claimed that these apps pose a threat to national security and public order, and are ‘prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India’.
The post ByteDance might sell Indian TikTok assets appeared first on Pocketnow.
The post Pocketnow Daily: Apple’s March Event Seems PACKED! (video) appeared first on Pocketnow.
Last year in September, TikTok reached a deal with Oracle and Walmart to avoid its US ban. The Trump administration had approved the deal, which was supposed to effectively establish a new company called TikTok Global headquartered in the US. Tiktok was given the December 4 sale deadline, which came and went with no response from the outgoing Trump administration. Reportedly, Trump also demanded that the US Treasury get a “lot of money” from any sale.
Now, it seems like President Biden has other plans. According to Wall Street Journal sources, TikTok’s forced sale to Oracle and Walmart has been put on hold “indefinitely”. The step comes as Biden reviews past efforts to handle security risks from Chinese technology companies. While the officials haven’t ruled out a sale, it might happen under different terms or might not happen at all.
The Biden administration might make a decision on TikTok soon. The government is yet to offer a formal response to TikTok’s legal challenge against the divestiture on February 18. We are yet to see what the official stance will be.
TikTok is said to be in talks with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) to resolve security concerns. It is being reported that an alternative to a sale might involve sending data to a “trusted” third party in a bid to combat the allegations of sending Americans’ information to the Chinese government. However, the Chinese government would prevent TikTok parent ByteDance from exporting the algorithms the app uses to recommend videos.
The post TikTok sale to Walmart and Oracle shelved appeared first on Pocketnow.
TikTok now has an Android TV app. Yes, if you needed more reason to waste time watching videos of cats raising hell or some dude on his skateboard drinking cranberry juice on a much larger screen, you’re in luck. The TikTok for Android TV app is currently live on the Play Store and is available to install on smart TVs. However, the availability appears to be region locked at the time of writing this. But this is not TikTok’s first large-screen adventure, as Samsung smart TVs landed the short-form video-sharing app back in December last year.
So, coming back to TikTok’s arrival on Android TVs, it claims to offer a ‘personalized video feed based on what you watch, like and share.’ As per a Reddit thread, some users encountered a region unavailability error when they tried to log in to their TikTok account. A few others mentioned that the app won’t work in the US or South-East Asian countries, and doesn’t work with a Xiaomi Mi Box S or NVIDIA Shield. However, Android Police claims that they got in working in the UK.
The folks over at EFTM were also able to get the TikTok app working on an Android TV by sideloading the APK in Australia, as the official Play Store install doesn’t appear to be working for users Down Under. Also, it appears that you don’t necessarily have to log-in for watching TikTok videos. However, there is an option to log-in to your TikTok account by scanning a QR code if you want to primarily watch videos posted by the accounts you follow.
EFTM’s report adds that videos do not loop by default and play in portrait orientation, just like they would do on the mobile app. Clicking right skips to the next video, while clicking the down button opens the likes and comments section. Pressing the down button twice brings up the categories section. While watching a video, information such as view count and title appear on the left side, while music details sit below.
Once you install the TikTok for Android TV app, it will appear under the My Apps section on your Android TV. When the app launches on your smart TV for the first time, you can choose between the ‘Watch Now’ option to start watching random curated videos without having to log in to your TikTok account, and a ‘Log In’ button below it. You can download the TikTok for Android TV app from the Play Store or sideload the APK here.
The post TikTok arrives on Android TV because doom-scrolling deserves a giant screen appeared first on Pocketnow.