If you opened your Reddit app today and noticed a new video button next to the search bar, you could be a tap away from experiencing the forum platform’s take on TikTok. TechCrunch writes that the video feed, which pulls content from subreddits you follow along with some you don’t, started rolling out to iOS users on Friday.
Loading up the feed on my own Reddit iOS app, the experience is unavoidably TikTok-like. You can scroll through a vertical, perpetual list of videos featuring content from the wide world of Reddit. Interaction options include upvoting and downvoting, along with commenting, “awarding” (using Reddit’s in-app currency to purchase medals and reactions), and sharing.
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What’s not clear is how Reddit pulls video content from subreddits you don’t follow. TikTok is famous for its algorithm, but when TechCrunch asked if Reddit deployed something similar, the company declined to comment. When asked by The Verge how it recommends content, and if the video feature had an official title, Reddit also declined to comment.
It shouldn’t be too surprising that Reddit is pushing further into video. Not necessarily because other platforms and social networks like Instagram and Snapchat have their own TikTok competitors, but because Reddit implied as much when it acquired Dubsmash. The creative video app isn’t involved in this specific feature, but Reddit still intends to incorporate its video tools — and entirely new ones — into its platform going forward.
Reddit hasn’t shared specific details on when you can expect the feature to hit your device, or if it’ll come to Android, but it is rolling out now.
