TikTok has announced a new feature called, Jumps. The feature will let users embed mini-apps in their videos. Jumps can be built by third-party providers after being approved by the company. For example, if someone is making a cooking video, they can embed a link to the recipe app Whisk, this would allow the users to open up a recipe sheet inside TikTok with just a few clicks. This feature is currently under testing, with only a select few creators having the ability to embed Jump in their videos. TikTok however is planning to launch it globally after the testing.
Platforms like Breathwrk, Wikipedia, Quizlet, StatMuse, and Tabelog were part of the beta test and according to TikTok, BuzzFeed, Jumprope, IRL, and WATCHA will implement their own ‘Jumps’ in the coming weeks. While watching a video embedded with Jump, a button will be displayed at the bottom of the screen which will then open the content on a new screen within TikTok. Creators making a video will be able to choose a Jump to add and will then be able to customize the content that viewers see after tapping on the Jump.
“TikTok has become a destination both to be entertained and to learn; through TikTok Jump, we’re creating that ‘last mile’ of our community’s discovery journey and helping to spark action and deeper interaction both on and off the platform,” said Sean Kim, Head of Product, TikTok US.
Nevertheless, TikTok isn’t the first company to test out a feature like this. Snapchat also has a similar feature called Minis, which allows users to share and use small apps and games with friends. WeChat also has thousands of such mini-apps on its platform.
