An early group of TikTok users from all over the world is currently trying out a new horizontal video style. In the trial, participants will be presented with a “full screen” option that, when clicked, will rotate the movie to fill the entire display in a horizontal fashion. This may seem like a tiny update, but it’s actually another stride for TikTok, which has been steadily advancing on YouTube’s turf over the last year.
Originally only supporting short, vertical films, TikTok has since increased the maximum duration of uploaded videos to 10 minutes (from the original three). With more time on their hands, producers can develop their ideas further and publish extended versions of videos comparable to those found on YouTube. To what extent, though, TikTok users will embrace horizontal long-form videos is an open question. TikTok’s appeal lies in its ability to deliver brief, high-quality shorts quickly and reliably.
In spite of the fact that TikTok has acknowledged the existence of this function and stated that it is undergoing testing, the company has provided no additional information regarding a potential public rollout. Of course, if the experiment doesn’t go well, TikTok may decide to abandon the concept altogether. It is unclear if or when the full screen mode will be made available to all TikTok users, as it is still in the testing phase. It’s important to note that if TikTok decides to roll out the functionality publicly, the final result may change visually from the prototype.
Before the feature’s official deployment, TikTok may alter it to make it more intuitive. To enter full screen mode, a click is presently required, but perhaps in the future users will only have to flip their phone sideways, as is the case with other apps.
