TikTok is giving its messaging system a major boost. The platform has rolled out new features that let users send voice notes and share up to nine images or videos directly in DMs, whether in one-on-one or group chats, TechCrunch reports.
With the update, TikTok is expanding beyond its reputation as a short-form video hub and positioning itself as a fuller communication platform. The features also bring its direct messaging experience closer to what other popular apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Apple’s Messages offer.
TikTok users can now record and send audio clips up to 60 seconds long directly in DMs, a format that has been growing in popularity among younger audiences, especially Gen Z. According to TechCrunch, TikTok says the new functionality will reach users worldwide in the coming weeks.
Voice notes aren’t entirely new to the social media space. Instagram rolled them out in 2018, while WhatsApp has supported them since 2013, per PCMag. TikTok has been slower to develop its messaging product, only adding group chat functionality in 2024, according to the outlet.
Alongside voice notes, TikTok users can now share photos and videos in DMs, captured on the spot or selected from their camera roll, which can be edited before sending. The platform has also built in a few guardrails: New contacts can’t send images or videos as their first message and are only able to share content already available on TikTok. The app also reminds users to think carefully about what they’re sharing and who they’re sending it to, TechCrunch reports.
To further protect younger audiences, TikTok uses automated systems to block nude images for teens between 16 and 18 in TikTok DMs (DMs are not available to users under 16 already). Adults over 18 can choose to turn this safety setting on or off in their app preferences, TechCrunch adds.
These new updates build on TikTok’s push to give users fresh ways to connect. Over the past year, the app introduced group chats that let up to 32 people talk in the same thread. As Hypebeast notes, the feature was highly requested by users and can be started directly from the inbox by tapping the “chat” button. TikTok also introduced Creator Chat Rooms, which the platform says are meant to give creators a dedicated space to connect with their biggest supporters.
