TikTok is expanding its desktop presence with significant new features aimed at competing directly with YouTube. The platform's latest web-based update includes several key improvements to enhance user experience and viewing capabilities.

Key Desktop Updates:

• Modular layout for better content organization
• Enhanced For You feed
• New Explore tab
• Immersive full-screen option for livestreams
• Floating video player
• Collections feature for organizing favorite videos
• Landscape mode support for gaming streams

Gaming streamers now have the flexibility to broadcast in either portrait or landscape orientation, with desktop users automatically receiving horizontal views. Mobile users can rotate their devices for horizontal viewing, positioning TikTok to compete with Twitch and YouTube in the gaming space.

The new Collections feature mirrors YouTube's playlist functionality, allowing users to categorize and organize their favorite content. The Explore page, previously mobile-only, is now available on desktop, offering personalized content discovery.

According to Cody Puckett, TikTok's Product Manager, these updates aim to bring the platform's mobile experience to desktop users while maintaining flexibility across devices.

While TikTok remains primarily mobile-focused, these desktop improvements represent a strategic move to challenge YouTube's 2.5 billion active user base. The platform has already increased its video length limits from the original 15-60 seconds to 10 minutes, with tests of 60-minute uploads underway.

These updates reflect TikTok's ongoing evolution from a short-form video platform to a comprehensive multimedia service capable of competing with established players in the digital content space.

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