Twitter is adding new features to make it easier for users to watch and discover videos on its platform, the social network announced on Thursday. Most notably, the company is launching a TikTok-like scrolling video channel.
In the coming days, iOS users will be able to click on a video in their feed to enter the new sliding video feed. Once you’ve finished watching the video you clicked on, you’ll be able to scroll up and start browsing more video content. You will then be in a scrollable video feed, similar to scrolling on TikTok. If you want to exit the browser and return to the original tweet, you can click the back arrow in the upper left corner.
Twitter says the purpose of the new immersive media browser is to make it easier for users to discover engaging videos. The social network hasn’t said when the immersive media browser will launch for Android users.
Additionally, Twitter is launching a new carousel of videos on its Explore tab. Users will see a new “Videos for You” category that will display popular and trending videos that the app thinks you might be interested in.
Twitter began testing TikTok-like video in December 2021 to provide users with a more customized Explore page. In this test, Twitter turned the entire Explore page into a video feed, complete with a “For You” tab. With the changes announced today, Twitter isn’t aiming to replace the entire Explore page with a TikTok-like channel.
The company’s approach to the TikTok-like feed can be considered somewhat tolerable, especially considering that it does not directly force it on users, as the previous test of a TikTok-like video feed did. People who like scrollable video feeds can access the immersive view if they want, and users who don’t want the video feed can choose not to open the immersive browser.
But of course, not everyone likes the changes, especially when it comes to the introduction of the impersonation feature from another platform. Instagram learned this the hard way, as it was essentially forced to revert to its full-screen TikTok-like home channel a few months ago due to massive backlash from users. It’s possible that Twitter wants to avoid a similar situation and therefore decided to add a more manageable experience when it comes to scrolling video feeds.
