According to TechCrunch, TikTok is launching a new feature called “Shared Collections” globally for users over age 16, letting them create shared folders of saved videos with mutual followers. The company also teased the upcoming launch of “Shared Feeds,” set to arrive in the coming months, which will generate a daily selection of 15 videos tailored to two users’ combined interests within a DM chat. Shared Collections can be used for things like planning holiday events or sharing design inspiration, and they can be kept private or made public. Shared Feeds, which are initiated via a DM invite, will let users watch content together and then see metrics on which videos they both liked in a “Shared Likes” history. TikTok additionally announced digital greeting cards users can send within chats.
TikTok’s Social Pivot
Here’s the thing: TikTok has always been a broadcast platform. You create, you consume, you scroll alone in a dark room. But these new features are a clear push to make the app stickier by weaving your social graph directly into the core discovery and saving experience. It’s not just about what you like anymore; it’s about what you and your friend, or your family group, like together. That’s a powerful shift. It turns passive watching into a collaborative activity, which is a classic play to increase engagement and time spent in the app. And let’s be honest, it’s also a direct shot across the bow of Instagram, which has had its “Blend” feature for Reels for a while now.
How The Features Work And Where They Falter
So, how does it work? Shared Collections seem straightforward—a shared Pinterest board, but for TikTok clips. The mutual follow requirement is a sensible privacy gate. Shared Feeds are more interesting technically. They’re generating a feed based on the combined signals of two people. That’s a tricky algorithm to get right. Does it just surface the overlap in your interests? Or does it introduce new content to one person based on the other’s habits? The limit of 15 videos per day is fascinating. It feels like a deliberate choice to make it a digestible, daily ritual rather than an endless scroll. It creates scarcity and a reason to come back tomorrow to see the new batch. But is that enough? If you blast through those 15 videos in 5 minutes, does the feature feel underwhelming?
The Bigger Picture For TikTok
Look, this isn’t just about new bells and whistles. This is about defense. With so much uncertainty swirling around TikTok’s future in key markets, the platform needs to deepen its roots. Making the app an indispensable tool for group interaction—for planning trips with friends, coordinating family events, sharing inside jokes—makes it harder to leave. If all your shared memories and plans with your circle are housed in TikTok’s ecosystem, the switching cost goes way up. The greeting cards thing? It’s a small touch, but it all feeds into the same strategy: become the digital living room, not just the TV. You can read more about the official announcement in TikTok’s blog post.
Will People Actually Use This?
That’s the real question, isn’t it? Features like this live or die by organic adoption. Will teens and young adults bother to set up a Shared Feed with a friend when they can just DM a single video link? Will families really coordinate cookie swaps on TikTok? Maybe. The success likely hinges on how seamlessly and intuitively these tools are baked into the existing flow. If it feels like a chore, it’ll flop. But if TikTok can make shared discovery feel as effortless and addictive as the For You Page, they might just create a whole new layer to their already dominant platform. It’s a bet on making the experience less solitary. We’ll see if users are buying what they’re selling.
