TikTok Now: the new TikTok feature

The users TikTok were able to discover a new feature in September promising “a whole new creative experience”. But is it really new?

The social network announced the launch of a new solution for Communicate on TikTok, have fun and connect with other users, the application” TikTok Now ”. This feature, directly inspired by the application BeReal, allows users to “share their most authentic moments” of their day via a photo or video within a limited period of time and to publish it to their friends.

How does TikTok Now work?

Launched by the Chinese platform for share your daily life in real time, the TikTok Now application sends its users a daily notification in the form of a lightning emoji telling the user that it is “Time to now”, that is, that they have 3 minutes to send their friends the content of their choice. ⚡️

When he clicks on it, the app triggers the camera's front and rear cameras, inviting him to take a ten-second video or photo. The front camera thus takes a selfie of the user and the rear camera is supposed to capture the environment in which the user is located.

He therefore does not really have time to travel to the place of his choice, or to prepare.

Once published, his friends are notified through a notification.

This post, called TikTok Now, appears from the bottom navigation bar “Now”, which replaces the “Discover” tab. You can get access to them if you have downloaded the TikTok app or “Friends” if they are on TikTok Now.

The advantage of TikTok Now is that it is a standalone application, so it is not necessary to have downloaded TikTok previously to use it. However, you must register by creating a TikTok account to access it.

TikTok Now a new type of content

With this feature, the social network TikTok diversifies forms of entertainment that he proposes and promotes a new type of content on its platform, which is more authentic. This feature allows you to share an unprecedented moment of daily life, taken on the spot, and “without filters” (literally and figuratively, since users do not use it on the social network) and with a smaller number of friends.

TikTok Now thus relies on the power of the instant and the “real” but also that of a connection with a close community. She also favors strong engagement between users since you have to publish your TikTok Now to see those of others, otherwise they remain unclear.

TikTok Now therefore invites all users to take part in the game and to be an actor in “Time to Now”, instead of simply remaining a spectator behind a screen.

Is TikTok Now different from BeReal?

However, this new TikTok feature is not innovative since it is strongly inspired by BeReal, this French social network created by Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau in 2020. BeReal has also been a real success all over the world, recording in total more than 50 million downloads since its launch and an average of 20 million daily active users. The French social network is very popular with young people in the United States since at the beginning of September, the mobile application was in first position in downloads nationwide, iOS and Google Play combined.

It is therefore not surprising that TikTok has taken a close look at this concept to adopt it and maintain its status as an essential social network among Generation Z.

TikTok is also not the only one to have been inspired by the BeReal concept since Instagram launched the “Dual Camera” in July 2022. After, have copied the TikTok format with the Reels, the social network is also launching its feature allowing you to publish a photo or video as a story by activating the two cameras of the camera.

The success of this trend shows that there is a search for and a real need for authenticity, especially in reaction to the images and videos that are often too smooth or too perfect on most social networks. So it's no surprise that BeReal, just like TikTok Now, are particularly appealing to Generation Z, who want to share their lives more unpretentiously and who they really are.

Despite its recent launch, TikTok Now is as popular and fast as BeReal since only a few days after its release, the application was in the Top 10 social networking applications in 39 countries and in the global Top 100 of 24 countries.