TikTok is tripling the maximum length of videos, increasing the time limit from sixty seconds to three minutes.
This update is rolling out to all users and will come with a notification like the one shown below:
In an announcement, the company states:
“There’s so much that can happen in a TikTok minute, from crowdsourced musicals and sea shanty singalongs to feta pasta recipes, roller skating revivals, and more. Now we’re introducing the option for our global community to create longer videos – paving the way for even richer storytelling and entertainment on TikTok.”
All three minutes can be recorded, edited, and uploaded directly within the TikTok app. This update gives creators a canvas to work with that’s three times larger than what they had before.
New Territory For Video On Social Media
This update puts TikTok in a unique spot as far as short-form vertical video on social media goes.
It may seem like a minor change going from sixty seconds to three minutes. But consider this — until now, sixty seconds was the standard across all major social apps.
Facebook and Instagram stories are limited to sixty seconds, as are Instagram feed posts. Instagram Reels can only be 30 seconds.
YouTube Shorts and Snapchat stories are capped at a minute as well. TikTok is an outlier with its new three minute video length.
This could shake up how people use the app and potentially lead to content that can only be found on TikTok.
Previously, users could record one video of sixty seconds or less and share it across all social media seamlessly.
That’s not possible to do now with a three minute video. However, creators can take advantage of the added length and make longer content just for their TikTok audience.
If that’s the route creators choose to go, users may find themselves with a wider variety of content to enjoy, and a reason to open TikTok versus other apps.
All of that is to say a small change like increasing video length could lead to larger, indirect changes.
What will a viral, 60+ second TikTok video look like in the future? That’s something an innovative creator out there will have to figure out.
It’s going to be interesting to see what creators do to hold viewers’ attention for longer than a minute.
TikTok echoes this sentiment in its announcement:
“With all the ways our community has redefined expression in under 60 seconds, we’re excited to see how people continue to entertain and inspire with a few more seconds – and a world of creative possibilities.”
Longer TikTok videos have been in testing with a limited number of creators, so it’s possible you may have encountered one already.
This feature is rolling out to all users over the coming weeks.
Source: TikTok Newsroom
