TikTok has announced that it will begin rolling out support for the app on Android TV. As reported by Android Police, the app works on Chromecast on Google TV but only in select regions.
Despite issues with the US government and restrictions imposed on the app, TikTok enjoyed its most popular year yet in 2020. The company still faces major issue in the US with a change of President unlikely to make much of a difference to the administration’s views on the app.
However, some have argued that these restrictions and the subsequent press coverage has actually helped TikTok’s popularity. The intense spotlight on the app coupled with the possibility of its ban made TikTok the most downloaded app of 2020.
This move to bring TikTok to Android TV is not that surprising given the company has already brought in integration with other platforms. In December, TikTok announced that Google App on mobile would show TikTok videos and Instagram reels.
The next stop of bringing TikTok to Android TV is, therefore, an obvious next step. However, as mentioned it has not yet rolled out fully and is only available in certain locations.
Android TV adds support for TikTok videos
TikTok for Android TV has recently become available on the Google Play Store. This means anyone can install the app to their TV. However, there have been some reports that it is not compatible with all TVs.
It appears that the app works with Chromecast on Google TV but not the new Chromecast. However, users in the UK using Shield TV and others around the world have also experienced issues.
If you are able to install the app you can do pretty much everything that you can do on the mobile app. When you open up the app you can start watching videos straight away or log in to see your personalized feed.
To navigate the app you use left and right buttons on your remote to skip forward or back between video. You then use the down button for options such as Profile, Like, and Comments.
To explore options such as Report, Not interested, and Loop video you have to go to the ‘More’ option. When viewing a video the title and the view count is on the left with the music information on the right as shown below.
If you want to sign in to your account simply press up on your remote. Then you can enter a code at tiktok.com/activate or scan a QR code with the mobile app. A really nice move to make the sign-in process that bit easier.