Who from here has not heard of Tik Tok (also known as Musically)? It’s that one app that allows people to share videos with background music. Many people have become viral by uploading these videos. First it was named Musically, then it was rebranded as Tik Tok.
We remember when Musically first hit the market. In the first year, the app already had more than 1 million users. Tik Tok is leading its way into the hearts of the users. It gets an update with new features every 2 to 3 months. There’s no age restriction. However, younger people are more attracted to it.
The app has about 60 MB and it has a user base of 100 million. People ask themselves if this is a safe app and if they should replace some of the apps like Snapchat with it. You’ll find the answers in this article.
As it happens with most of the apps, you’ll need an account for Tik Tok. When you’re registered and or you simply want to log in, you can use your Google or Facebook account, or they can ask for your phone number to verify it.
The user interface is a friendly one, with five sections. The 1 one is for you to see the videos which are shared by others. The videos are 60 seconds long. You can like or share videos on Facebook or WhatsApp. You can resume or pause the video. To get to the next video, all you have to do it swipe down; to see the previous one, swipe up.
The second tab is for you to find interesting videos. They’re categorized by hashtag and number of views. You can also find a video by scanning a QR code that one friend sends you.
The third one is for you to record videos. Tik Tok asks for permission before doing it, to take pictures and videos, to record audio, and to get access to photos, files and media. Before starting to record, you can select an effect or a filter, set the time and choose a background.
The fourth tab is for notifications. You can see the direct messages sent to you by your friends or even fans at some point.
The fifth tab allows you to change your avatar image. It also allows you to change the privacy or general settings, add a profile video, or enter the link to your Instagram or YouTube profile. This is where you can also find friends using this app.
The settings of the app
There are many options to choose from when it comes to settings. You can get access to a wallet and you can buy coins for spending on purchases from the app. The wallet is only for this purpose, you cannot use it for something else.
In settings, you find the option to block some users. You can allow (or disallow) some of the people to react to your videos or to send direct messages to you. Also, you can block those people who send you inappropriate messages. All you have to do is select the “Block List” option from Settings.
This app also shows you the size of cached files that it has saved on your smartphone. You can disable notifications or clear the cache.
What are the pros and cons?
The pros are that the user interface is really nice, and you can prevent people from downloading your videos. Also, the privacy features are the best ones.
The cons are that there’s really no setting for preventing auto-playing videos, and as you might think, there are many annoying videos on this platform. Also, there’s no option to see the videos in lower quality.
Daniel Kiss is the senior editor for News Lair. Daniel was working as a writer since he finished high-school, first for local papers then he started online, nowadays he likes to write about the latest games and tech innovations.
