{"id":179734,"date":"2021-11-12T14:14:18","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T13:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=179734"},"modified":"2025-07-01T21:01:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:01:18","slug":"what-is-tik-tok-how-it-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/what-is-tik-tok-how-it-works\/","title":{"rendered":"What is TIK TOK and how it works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Chinese company ByteDance <\/strong>bought lip-sync app Musical.ly<\/strong> in 2017. A year later, it was rebranded as TikTok<\/a> and became a worldwide sensation, being downloaded over 2.6 billion times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s a bit of a learning curve to know how to work TikTok, so here are some basics on what you can do and how to do it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is TikTok?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

TikTok <\/strong>is a social media app<\/strong> on which users can create and share video clips no longer than 60 seconds shot on cellphones. It also gives access to songs, audio clips, and effects. The app is highly addictive, probably because of its quirky videos that are short and fun, with music and sound effects. People engage with it and use it for many different types of video clips, including memes, challenges, comedy, and more serious content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting started on Tik Tok<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you first open TikTok, you’ll land on the F<\/strong>or You page, featuring posts aimed at individual users<\/strong>. The tab called  Following shows posts from people you follow. On the Trending page, you’ll find Hashtags <\/strong>that show you <\/strong>popular challenges people issue and take part in. You can also search Hashtags if there’s something specific you’re looking for or if you just want to browse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downloading <\/strong>Tik Tok <\/strong>and opening an account<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you want to message people on Tik Tok and make and post videos, you’ll have to be 13 and older and open an account. But you don’t need one just to browse. To set up an account, you must download TikTok<\/a> from the App Store or Google Play. Once it’s downloaded, you open the app and tap on Profile<\/strong> on the right at the bottom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There you choose a method to sign up<\/strong>: with an email, phone number through Facebook, Google, or Twitter. Use only a valid email address and phone number, as you will need them to log in and recover your password. You can look at links to TikTok videos on your desktop, although there’s no official desktop version yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"What<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Understanding the panel<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On every TikTok video, there’s a panel of icons <\/strong>on the right. The top one allows you to follow the person whose video you’re watching. You can ‘like’ the video on the heart icon and place your comments on the one below it. Tapping on the icon that says record <\/strong>at the bottom takes you to the audio clip the video’s creator is using. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will also show you other videos it has been used in. You can also ‘duet’ with other users on TikTok. It does this with split screens. When you’ve posted a video, hit the ‘share’ arrow to go to Duet<\/strong> and choose who you want to join up with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TikTok tips and tricks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How to shoot a TikTok video<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you tap the plus sign icon, you’ll see the camera scree<\/strong>n. You can add sound or shoot video. You can upload a pre-recorded video longer than 15 seconds. You can access filters, effects, and timers. You can choose how long your video should be just above the pink record <\/strong>button before you tape it. You can choose to make a 15 second, 60 second, or three-minute or shorter video. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some sites to visit with guides that cover just about everything you need to know about Tik Tok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n