As TikTok continues to evolve its search experience, the social network now shows reviews of selected places right in the video comments tab. The new feature, which appears to be a test, eliminates the need to conduct a new search or open Google when you come across a place on TikTok and want to learn more about it.
TikTok users who have access to this new feature will see a new “Reviews” tab on the right after they click to view comments on videos.
For example, if you come across a video of Central Park in New York City where the creator has tagged the location, you’ll see the star rating of the location, their written feedback, and uploaded photos, if any.
You can also tap on a user’s name to go to their TikTok profile from this section, which is different from the previous Google Maps integration, which was marked with a Google Maps icon.
While for some, the new feature may be a welcome addition, others may find it overwhelming the user experience when viewing content.
The move is the latest way that TikTok is trying to expand its search ambitions to push Google.
In 2022, a Google executive suggested that TikTok was gobbling up its core services, Search and Maps, especially for younger users. Today, TikTok has challenged Google’s dominance in several areas.
In addition to becoming the preferred place to find places among Generation Z, last year TikTok added an image search feature that allows users to take or upload photos to find similar products on TikTok Shop.
In September 2024, TikTok also began allowing advertisers to target the search results page through “TikTok Search Ads Campaigns,” a keyword search solution designed to show brand ads in search results.
It’s unclear whether TikTok plans to roll out its reviews tab more broadly, as the company declined to comment for the publication. However, in TechCrunch’s tests, we found that only some videos with a marked location will show this feature.
