With the fate of TikTok in the US up in the air, ByteDance decided it was the perfect time to improve the desktop version of the platform (which hadn’t been very attractive before). The new features include a relocated navigation bar, an Explore tab, a floating player for Chrome, and – in a move that should catch the attention of Twitch – live streaming of games in landscape orientation.
Prior to Thursday’s changes, TikTok’s web app layout included a search bar and shortcuts that ran across the top of the screen along with links in the lower left. Now they are all combined into a vertical navigation bar on the left. The idea is to reduce distractions for a more immersive viewing experience as the platform moves to compete with YouTube and Twitch.
Speaking of Twitch: TikTok now supports full-screen streaming of games in portrait and landscape modes. Until now, you could only do this in the latter mode using TikTok’s Live Studio app. When you live stream in landscape orientation, desktop users will see this view by default, while mobile users can rotate their devices to watch in widescreen (as everyone did before TikTok came along).
Meanwhile, the floating player that keeps TikTok visible above other windows is exclusive to Chrome for desktop.
There’s also a new Collections feature (similar to YouTube playlists) where you can organize your favorite videos into custom categories to make it easier to return to them later. Features of the mobile app that have migrated to the desktop include the “For You” feed, where you will find algorithmically selected content based on your interests, and the “Explore” page, which shows trending hashtags and popular content.
The changes to the desktop browser version are now available worldwide.
