TikTok is officially under US ownership for American users, and after a rocky first week plagued by issues, the new owners have just announced a brand new TikTok feature exclusive to the US: the Local Feed.
New ‘Local Feed’ is being added to TikTok app in the US
TikTok’s American owners, the ’TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC,’ have just announced a new feature rolling out for US users.
It’s called the Local Feed, and it provides hyper-local content meant to “help people stay connected to their community.”
The Local Feed is a new tab on the TikTok home screen designed to help people stay connected to their community and discover what’s going on nearby. It features local content related to travel, events, restaurants and shopping, as well as posts from small businesses and local creators. Posts in the Local Feed are shown to people based on location, the topic of the content, and when the content was posted, making it easier to discover what’s going on locally.
While the addition of this new feed sounds noncontroversial initially, it does come with an asterisk.
Per the announcement, TikTok is also “introducing the option for people to share more accurate location information through their device’s GPS settings.”
In other words, the ‘Precise Location’ setting available on iPhone will be a new optional choice.
TikTok says precise location sharing will be:
- Set to “off” by default. When set to off, TikTok will not collect precise GPS location
- Entirely optional
- Only available to accounts 18+
- Only active when the app is in use
- Can be turned off at any time in settings
- Protected in the TikTok USDS JV secure environment
- When someone chooses to use a feature that accesses location, their device clearly shows an on-screen indicator, making it transparent when and how location is being used
This location setting helps power the new Local Feed, TikTok says. Though it sounds like users will still be able to enjoy the Local Feed without granting precise location access. The feed just might not be as hyper-local as it could be with the additional permission.
What do you think of TikTok’s new Local Feed feature? Let us know in the comments.
Best iPhone accessories
- AirPods Pro 3 (now only $209, down from $249)
- MagSafe Car Mount for iPhone
- 10-year AirTag battery case 2-pack
- 100W USB-C fast charging power adapter
- Apple’s new AirTag 2 (1-pack / 4-pack)
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments