TikTok will soon allow uploading 30-minute videos – TikTok

The extended time limit signals intense competition with YouTube to attract creators who make longer videos. Consultant Matt Navarra first discovered this feature within the beta version of TikTok for iOS.

If the feature rolls out across the board, it will cap TikTok's gradual adoption of long-form content after initially capping videos at 15 seconds. Subsequent upgrades initially allowed 3-minute clips, then 10-minute, and most recently 15-minute clips.

The decision reflects YouTube's expansion into shorter video clips to counter the rise of TikTok. Now TikTok is fighting back by hosting creator formats that typically exist exclusively on YouTube. This includes the ability to view entire episodes of TV shows instead of fragmented portions of them.

Previous TikTok time extensions brought cooking tutorials, educational videos, comedy skits, and other content that didn't fit into the highly restricted duration times to the platform. But the 30-minute limit allows for uploads that were impossible before, potentially attracting a whole new class of creators.

Some have speculated that this decision by TikTok targets TV networks that already reach viewers on TikTok, but are forced to split their content into smaller clips. However, there are concerns about maintaining TikTok's reputation for short videos in line with shrinking attention spans. However, the company has tested features like full-screen and landscape viewing as well as fast forwarding to aid viewing.

Final reception from users and creators remains uncertain until full-scale implementation is complete. Many may still think of TikTok as a secondary platform for short videos compared to YouTube. But it has become clear that the company clearly intends to strengthen its position in both genres.