TikTok rolling out new video-scrubbing thumbnail feature

TikTok is reportedly rolling out a feature to more users that allows you to view video thumbnails as you scrub through videos — here’s what you need to know about it.

Short-form video platform TikTok is one of the most popular apps in the world, and they are constantly adding new features to make uploading and interacting with content on the app easier.

Earlier in 2022, the platform started to allow users to make ten-minute-long videos, extending it from the previous maximum limit of three minutes, and plenty of users have been taking full advantage of this ability.

While you could already use a scrubbing bar along the bottom of longer posts to skip through the video, users are now reporting that TikTok is also adding the ability to view a thumbnail of the video in question while scrubbing.

On January 5, Social Media Consultant Matt Navarra shared a video demonstrating this convenient feature.

The scrubbing-bar thumbnails work in pretty much the same way as they do on the YouTube app. Users with access to the feature will just need to drag the dot across the white bar at the bottom of the screen, above which should appear an image preview of which part of the video you are hovering over. Then, just let go of the dot to skip to that part of the video.

It’s not clear whether this feature will be rolled out to everyone at some point, so if you don’t currently have access, it may just be a matter of waiting until it’s extended to more regions and devices.

Regardless, the feature is a welcome one for many, who prefer to skip ahead to the important parts of longer videos on TikTok.