Rumor: TikTok is going to build group chats in app

Video platform TikTok would like to build group chats into its own app. The Chinese version of TikTok already has that. The function should come this year, Reuters news agency reported on the basis of anonymous sources.

Group chats should allow users to spend longer in the app, Reuters writes. In addition, popular creators on the group chat platform can more easily connect with fans, the site adds.

It is probably unencrypted group chats, the news agency added. It is unknown why parent company ByteDance chooses this. TikTok is currently primarily an app for sharing videos and posting comments, which makes it no more a video platform than a social medium.

The move would make TikTok more competitive with social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Discord, other media where group chats are an important item. The Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, has been offering group chats in the app since 2019. It is unknown how many users there are of that feature. ByteDance also has a separate chat app in its portfolio, Feiliao, in addition to video chat app Duoshan.

Duoshan(left) and Feiliao