TikTok’s latest hidden feature changes the way you watch videos on the app « Smartphones :: Gadget Hacks

A hidden TikTok feature has changed the way I watch videos on the app, and it’s about to change the way I watch videos on TikTok.

The feature is relatively new and extremely easy to miss as it is not visible in the video interface. But before you continue, make sure you’ve updated the TikTok app for Android or iOS so you know you’re using the latest version.

Now that your app is up to date, I have three words for you: playback speed control. Some users have been able to access the new feature for the past six months while it’s being tested, but TikTok should have rolled it out to everyone’s accounts by now, including yours.

Whenever I needed to watch a TikTok video in slow motion or speed it up to watch it faster, I always saved the video and changed the playback speed using another app. Now that speed controls are built right into the TikTok video interface, I no longer have to leave the app to slow things down or speed things up, which means more time for more TikTok videos.

How to watch a TikTok video faster or slower

There are several ways to access the video playback speed controls, but before we dive in, it’s important to point out a few things.

First, you’ll only see them for videos between 30 seconds and 10 minutes. This requirement is exactly like the white video scrubber you see at the bottom of some videos. If you don’t see this bar, you probably don’t have a playback speed setting.

Second, it only applies to the video you’re currently watching, and only that instance of it. If you change the speed of the current video, it will not affect the other videos. And if you watch another video and come back, you have to turn the playback speed back on.

Method 1: Use the Share button

On the video, tap the share button from the options on the screen. At the bottom of the share menu, tap the “Playback speed” button and choose from the four available options: “0.5x” to slow down the video, “Normal” for the original speed, or “1.5x” or “2x” to speed up the video.

Method 2: Long press the screen

On the video, long press the screen to open the video menu. What you see may differ from others as we have seen two different menu layouts for the long press action.

The first layout (left image below) lists a “Speed” section where four playback speed options (0.5x, 1x, 1.5x, 2x) are immediately available. When you see this, simply tap the speed you want. This is the standard layout in the Android app.

If you don’t see the list view in the menu, you’ll see a row of circular buttons at the top (middle image below). Tap on “Playback Speed” and the playback speed controls will open (right side picture below), where 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x or 2x can be selected. This is the standard layout in the iPhone app.