TikTok has taken another step forward as it looks to expand the maximum length of its videos. According to social media consultant Matt Navarra, some TikTok users have been given the option to upload clips that are up to 30 minutes in length.
The current maximum runtime for TikTok videos is ten minutes, but if Navarra’s Threads post is to be believed, that number is going up. The industry analyst — who is famous for spotting in-development app features — noticed the option for longer uploads in the iOS beta version of the TikTok app. He told TechCrunch that some users have reported seeing that notification in the Android beta version of TikTok as well.
Last October, Navarra spotted a test feature that allowed some TikTok users to raise their maximum video runtime to 15 minutes. At the time, TikTok confirmed that it was running tests in a few regions, but the app has not yet corroborated Navarra’s theory about the 30-minute uploads.
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TikTok started testing three-minute videos in 2021. A year later, it began facilitating ten-minute uploads. As the app has expanded its maximum runtime, it has rolled out new tools that encourage users to take advantage of its long-form infrastructure. Its Creativity Program, introduced in February 2023, offers enhanced monetization to the creators of the app’s most popular long-form uploads.
The ongoing investment in long-form TikTok content has led to rapid growth for participating creators. At an event in October 2023, TikTok told attendees that creators who post videos longer than one minute get five times more followers than creators who limit themselves to the app’s short-form bread-and-butter.
If TikTok’s maximum runtime does go up to 30 minutes, there could be significant ramifications for brands as well. The entertainment industry has harnessed TikTok by uploading entire TV episodes across sequences of short-form clips. If Navarra’s prediction comes true, that strategy could soon become a thing of the past.
