TikTok updates maximum video length to 10 minutes

Can TikTok still be referred to as a short-form video social media platform following a major new update? TikTok has made a significant announcement, raising the maximum upload time to 10 minutes. With more to watch, TikTok has been experimenting with new methods to grow. This time, with expansion in mind, they have taken it quite literally with this extended video duration.

In this digital age, they are continuously thinking of new ways to provide value and improve the TikTok experience. This is not the first major shift, nor will it be the last. Last year, we saw changes to videos, giving the TikTok community more time to create and enjoy. The ability to post videos of up to 10 minutes in length opens up even more possibilities for creators all over the world.

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More than just an update

Although TikTok’s meteoric rise to success was due to a continuous stream of short clips designed to pique users’ interest, the platform has been pushing longer content for quite some time. Longer videos allow TikTok to compete with YouTube while also gaining an older audience and improving app engagement time. However, there may be certain disadvantages to this. A change to longer content may reduce the amount of data acquired on individuals’ watching behaviours, allowing for the customising of the algorithms used to attract viewers.

As TikTok develops to provide creators and users with longer content, its competitors, fuelled by TikTok’s success, have done the opposite, becoming the place to be for short videos. Instagram has launched Reels, YouTube has Shorts, and Snapchat has Spotlight. All of these major platforms are seeking to find the optimal content balance in order to compete and become the hub for a wide range of content.