TikTok tests massive change to video size limit and users aren’t convinced
Unsplash: May GauthierTikTok is entering a new era of content creation, testing the ability for users to upload videos never before seen on the platform.
Launched in China in September 2016, TikTok entered the plethora of social media platforms and quickly gained popularity for its short-form video format.
Users could upload 15-second videos at launch, however, that limit has been steadily increasing over the years. Currently, TikTok has a 3-minute maximum limitation, though it has previously allowed users to post up to 10 minutes of content and trialed a 15-minute option.
Now, TechCrunch has confirmed that TikTok is dabbling with a new limit that rings closer to YouTube’s format, allowing certain users to upload 60-minute videos.
Social media consultant Matt Navarra first spotted this change to the platform’s format, taking to Instagram’s new text app Threads to share the news. In his post, Navarra shared a screenshot from TikTok that read; “Upload videos up to 60 minutes long!”
TechCrunch reached out to TikTok for confirmation and was told this dramatic increase in time limit was intended to “give creators the opportunity to experiment with new or expanded types of content with more flexibility.”
A 60-minute limit would prevent creators from having to post multiple parts for their stories and allow for longer content similar to that found on YouTube.
Though this new feature is still in the testing stage, users have already begun to respond to the latest update with the general census so far being that the change is “unnecessary.”
“That’s so insane. Is there even a demand for that?!” one person questioned following Navarra’s Threads post. “15 is the HIGH end of the sweet spot for short form. Sh**, I’m so old I remember when YouTube had a 10 min cap!”
“I’m not holding my phone to watch a 60-minute TikTok. I hardly watch the 10-minute videos all the way through,” another user admitted. A third agreed, adding, “It would have to be something SO captivating in order for me to watch the whole thing!”