TikTok appears to be trying to take on popular messaging services like Meta's WhatsApp and Apple's Messages after the company announced on Monday that it's adding group chats to its platform, allowing up to 32 people to create group chats to chat together and share content.
People often share TikTok videos with each other in group chats on messaging apps, but TikTok now lets users do this within its own platform: Users can now watch, comment, and react to videos together on TikTok.
This latest addition shows that TikTok is interested in making its platform more social and a place to talk with friends, rather than just an entertainment platform for interacting with strangers.
Like private messaging, group chats are only available to users over the age of 15, and TikTok says it has added safety measures to protect 16- and 17-year-olds.
Everyone, including teens, can only be added to a group chat if they are mutual followers. If a teen receives an invitation to a group chat, they can only join if there is at least one mutual friend in the group. Additionally, when a teen creates a group chat, TikTok requires that they review and approve new participants.
To create a group chat, tap the “Chat” button at the top of your inbox and select “More options.” Then, select the friends you want in the group and click “Start a group chat.” To join an existing group chat through an invitation, tap the invitation and click “Join group.”
TikTok also announced that it's rolling out custom stickers in DMs, a feature the company sees as a fun chat option that will allow users to create and upload their own custom stickers for anyone to use.