TikTok expands its maximum video size to 10 minutes in possible challenge to YouTube

According to TechCrunch, there is big news for TikTok creators. The length of videos created on the platform can now run as long as 10 minutes which more than triples the previous maximum length for videos recorded on the app. Last July TikTok raised the limit on video length to three minutes from 60 seconds. So in less than one year, TikTok subscribers went from recording videos no longer than 1-minute to recording videos that run as long as 10 times that length.

We aren't sure that we can continue to call TikTok a short-form video app with the new expanded 10 minute maximum video length. But with the longer recording capabilities available to TikTok creators, users now have a reason to spend more time in the app, watching videos. The Wall Street Journal says that according to people familiar with the matter, ByteDance told some unnamed people back in January that TikTok took in $4 billion in ad revenue for 2021.

TikTok has slowly been increasing the video upload length over the past 18 months.

It has been testing 3 min and 5 min upload limits with creators for some time.

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) February 28, 2022

TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users who receive short-form videos that are sent to their TikTok feed thanks to an algorithm that matches subscribers' interests with the subject of the videos sent to their feeds. Social Media consultant Matt Navarra made an interesting point when he sent a tweet that said, "TikTok creeping in on YouTube territory. I can now upload videos up to 10 minutes long."

Navarra's tweet included directions from TikTok about the update and it told users to make sure that they have downloaded the latest version of the TikTok app before setting out to record content as long as ten minutes. In a statement, TikTok said, "We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience."

"Last year, we introduced longer videos, giving our community more time to create and be entertained on TikTok," the statement continued. "Today, we’re excited to start rolling out the ability to upload videos that are up to 10 minutes, which we hope would unleash even more creative possibilities for our creators around the world."

Last August, we told you that TikTok was working to increase the cap on video length to 5 minutes or longer which would have been a 67% hike from the 3 minutes that TikTok was allowing at the time. While the tipsters were right about what ByteDance was working on, they were wrong about how much longer users would get to record their content.

Content created on TikTok includes dancing, lip syncing, singing, comedy, and more. But where the extra time really comes in handy is with video tutorials that viewers might be able to watch in full without having to watch it in different parts. For example, a TikTok video showing users how to explain baseball's complex "Infield Fly Rule" might take just one long 10-minute video to explain instead of forcing users to view three or four shorter clips instead.

While Social Media consultant Navarra mused about TikTok quietly making a move on YouTube, the former has a long way to go to come close to YouTube's advertising revenue. Google's streaming video app took in $28.8 billion in revenue last year, more than seven times the amount that TikTok did.

Still, YouTube felt threatened enough by TikTok that it created a short-form video service of its own called YouTube Shorts. Other social media apps went after TikTok including Instagram which launched its short-form Reels feature in 2020. Facebook and Snapchat also developed their own short-form video platforms in an attempt to attract TikTok users and convert them to their own video apps.

The new 10 minute video recording cap will start rolling out to TikTok users worldwide during the upcoming weeks. Users will receive a notification when the update containing the new cap is available to be downloaded.

You can download the TikTok app for Android and iOS from the Google Play Store and the App Store respectively. TikTok remains one of the most downloaded apps in the world.