The TikTok app is finally available on Vizio smart TVs, enabling users to easily watch their favorite viral short videos on the big screen.
The TikTok app is finally available on Vizio smart TVs, enabling users to watch their favorite viral short videos on the big screen. TikTok launched its TV app late last year with support for several smart TV platforms, including Amazon’s Fire TV, Samsung’s Tizen OS, LG’s webOS and various iterations of Android TV, including Google TV. However, despite being one of the largest smart TV sellers in the U.S., Vizio remained missing from TikTok’s list of supported platforms until now.
Owned and operated by Chinese tech company ByteDance, TikTok has exploded into one of the world’s largest and most popular social media platforms, especially among teens and young adults. It has had a meteoric rise to the top but has also been embroiled in many controversies over its supposed slack privacy practices, dangerous challenges and the adverse effects it is said to have on young users. As a result, Attorneys General in eight U.S. states are investigating the company for alleged violations of consumer protection laws and whether it harms young users.
In a press release on Thursday, Vizio announced that the TikTok TV app is now available on Vizio smart TVs. The integration allows Vizio owners to watch TikTok videos directly from their TV’s home screen without needing any additional downloads. According to the press release, the TikTok TV app is optimized for big screens and allows users to enjoy all their favorite content on the platform just like the standard mobile app. The press release also adds that it only takes “a few clicks” on the home screen to get started with the TikTok TV app or users can sign in with their existing account credentials as usual.
Familiar Features On TikTok TV
Once a user signs into TikTok on their Vizio TV, they will have access to the app’s ‘For You’ and ‘Following’ feeds. They will also be able to use the ‘Discover’ feature to find more of their favorite content, creators and categories on the app. In addition, Vizio claims that the best part of the app is that it offers AutoPlay that keeps playing one video after another without interruption.
The short-format video concept has worked wonders for TikTok, and the expansion to television suggests that the company is not resting on its laurels and trying its best to increase its presence to as many platforms as possible. In addition, TikTok is reportedly planning a major push into gaming soon and is said to be testing in-app games in Vietnam as part of the plan. Towards that end, TikTok is rolling out HTML5 games to its app through tie-ups with independent developers and major game studios, such as Zynga.
