TikTok is testing a 'Clear Mode' that removes the cruft from your scrolling

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Tiktok On iPhone
Tiktok On iPhone (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • TikTok is testing a change that makes it easier to see videos.
  • A 'Clear Mode' removes buttons and text from videos, making them easier to see.
  • The new feature is being tested with a limited number of people currently.

TikTok is testing a new feature that will get rid of all of the buttons and text from videos to make them easier to watch without getting distracted. The feature, called 'Clear Mode,' is now being tested with a limited number of people.

The feature, first shared by a Twitter user and spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, is enabled by tapping a new 'Clear Mode' button that gives TikTok users a new, cleaner interface that does away with things like comments, the name of the song that's used in the video, and more. It appears that the information can be brought back with a quick tap, should the need arise.

TikTok normally has a plethora of buttons and information on-screen at any one time, including a share button and more. Removing all of that cruft could make the browsing and video-watching experience more enjoyable, although it remains to be seen whether TikTok will roll this updated feature out to everyone in the future.

TechCrunch reports that, when asked, TikTok didn't have a comment to make about the new feature but with a seemingly small test pool it's possible that 'Clear Mode' is still in the early days of testing. TikTok could be watching to see how many times people use the feature, not to mention when they then need to come back out of it to share content. If 'Clear Mode' ultimately makes content less likely to be shared, it could be one that finds itself on the scrap heap.

TikTok is currently one of the best iPhone apps for sharing and watching short videos and it's always promising to see companies look to tweak things. Let's hope his is one feature that makes its way out of testing and onto everyone's devices.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.