Skip to main content

TikTok’s experimental third feed has been spotted out in the wild

TikTok is reportedly working on adding a third feed to its popular short-form video app.

And the experimental TikTok feed has already been tweeted about. On Monday, social media consultant Matt Navarra tweeted about the experimental feature and noted that it will work “in conjunction with a new option giving creators the ability to add a location tag to videos.” And then on Wednesday morning, Brendan Gahan tweeted an actual image of the new feed, which appears next to TikTok’s Following and For You feeds. In Gahan’s photo, the feed is called “Nearby”:

Recommended Videos

TikTok's 'Nearby' feed spotted in the wild pic.twitter.com/WG5yND3oLl

— Brendan Gahan (@brendangahan) August 24, 2022

TechCrunch has reported that it confirmed that the Nearby feed is indeed being tested by TikTok and that it includes “select users in Southeast Asia and that the test is currently limited in scope.” Further details on the Nearby feed are sparse so far. In terms of the details reported in the TechCrunch article, the only other main thing we really know is the fact that the new feed is being tested along with another new feature: location tags. TikTok told TechCrunch that the location tags feature would see a gradual roll out to creators.

But it’s not difficult to see what this new presumably location-based feed is supposed to bring TikTok users. Given the fact that it’s being tested with location tags, the Nearby feed is most likely going to suggest relevant TikTok content that’s based on the user’s location. It could essentially be a feed that features local content, which could prove useful to TikTok users looking for suggestions on local places to visit, shop, and eat.

Digital Trends has reached out to TikTok for further details on the Nearby feed. Once we hear back, we’ll update this article with more information.

Anita George
Anita George has been writing for Digital Trends' Computing section since 2018. So for almost six years, Anita has written…
New feature shows that even Twitter wants to be like TikTok now
Twitter's new full screen feature for videos on the mobile app.

Is TikTok the new queen bee of social media? It appears so as even Twitter couldn't resist copying TikTok. Twitter's latest feature announcement seems to be yet another indication that the viral video app sensation is clearly the new leader among its peers. After all, TikTok is setting trends and its competitors are all following them.

On Thursday, Twitter announced two new video-focused features for its app and one of those features bears a strong resemblance to TikTok. That feature (known as the "immersive media viewer") allows users to open videos in a vertical "full-screen mode" -- just like TikTok -- and continue to view more videos by swiping up (also just like TikTok).

Read more
You can now downvote comments on TikTok videos
The TikTok app on a smartphone's screen. The smartphone is sitting on a white table.

TikTok has a new feature and this time it's for the comment section of its short-form videos.

On Friday, TikTok announced via a tweet that it was globally releasing a new dislike button feature for TikTok video comments. The tweeted announcement offered up a few details about what to expect and an image of the new feature:

Read more
TikTok is banning campaign fundraising on its app
A person's hand holding a phone with the TikTok app on it.

As we get closer to the U.S. midterm elections, TikTok and other social media platforms have been ramping up changes to their apps and their policies in an effort to curb misinformation and clean up other problems plaguing their platforms. And now, TikTok is issuing a few more changes to its policies that are specifically targeted at political party, politician, and government TikTok accounts. The biggest change? It plans to ban campaign fundraising on the app.

On Wednesday, TikTok published a blog post in which it announced a ban on campaign fundraising and mandatory verification for certain political accounts (in the U.S.).

Read more