TikTok wants users to express themselves with in-app group chats (and stickers)

Get ready for more DMs on TikTok.

The ByteDance-owned app has added a pair of new features to its direct messages. Users can now start group chats on TikTok with up to 32 people, and the app is also getting a library of Stickers that promise new forms of expression.

Group chats will add more utility to TikTok’s DMs. Though Instagram has often copied products made famous by TikTok (and received mixed reviews in the process), this is one of those cases where TikTok is trying to adopt a feature that is associated with its Meta-owned rival. Instagram DMs are an indispensable part of Gen Z culture, but TikTok is attempting to move some of those group conversations onto its real estate.

“Creative expression is truly limitless on TikTok,” reads a TikTok Newsroom post. “We’re always looking for new ways to enrich the TikTok experience and bring that mantra to life for our global community, and we will continue to introduce features that help you discover shared entertainment through authentic connections.”

DMs are already available on TikTok, though previous coverage of the feature has tended to focus on the parental moderation of underage users’ messages rather than the introduction of updated options. Like with TikTok’s other DMs, group chats will be limited to users aged 15 and up.

Though teen group chatters will see some restrictions placed on their DMs (their interactions with strangers will be limited, for example), they’ll also join the rest of TikTok by enjoying the app’s new Stickers. The landing page for the feature notes that users will be able to “create and showcase your unique sticker designs in TikTok.”

The focus on user creation could potentially set up Stickers as a new revenue stream for TikTokers. Other platforms, such as Snapchat, have already made that move. TikTok already rewards creative users who produce its most popular Effects, and perks for Sticker creators could be a natural extension of that program.