TikTok's short-form video feed has been copied by a number of competitors. It looks like you can add something to that list. The company is testing a new feature in its app called Discover, which presents a vertical feed of music videos that users can scroll through or skip. The fourth tab in the navigation bar at the bottom of the app is for those who have access to the feature.
Chris Messina spotted the new addition and posted a video of the Discover feature in action. He said it was a parody of a TikTok-style feed of music videos.
When you tap on the icon in the navigation bar, you will see the video feed immediately. You can move through the feed using the same method as on TikTok. He notes that you can also tap the three-dot menu to bring up the standard song information sheet.
The feature may be taking advantage of the existing Canvas format.
Artists can use Canvas to create videos that accompany their music. Some users preferred to see the static album art when listening to music, while others found the video and looping imagery distraction. Others said they liked it. The company reports that users are more likely to keep streaming, share tracks or save tracks when they see a Canvas.
We can confirm that the videos playing in the vertical feed are the artists' existing Canvas videos from the video Messina shared and others we viewed. But it wasn't confirmed to us directly.
The feature is available on both the iPad and the phone, but the company was asked if it had plans to roll it out further, if it was available on both the iPad and the phone, and which markets had access to it. The company did not reveal any details about the feature but did confirm that it was exploring the idea of a vertical video feed.
A spokesman for the company said that they conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve their user experience. Some of the tests end up paving the way for a broader user experience and others are only important learning. We don't have any more news to share at this time.
The test is still very early and may not be made available to the public. It wouldn't be a surprise if it did. The company used to use popular social media formats to engage with its users. In the past, a Stories feature was tested by Spotify to allow for the introduction of their owncurated playlists. That option was never made available to all users.
The TikTok format is proving to be an ideal format for discovering content on top social platforms. The new Fast Laughs feature in the app of the streaming service allows users to save the programs to a watch list or just start streaming them. Similarly, the Discover feature of Spotify could help introduce users to new music and offer a way to signal their interests to the service in a familiar format.
