TikTok has exploded in popularity over the last few years, becoming one of the most popular social media platforms globally. As of January 2023, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide (source). The app allows users to create and share short videos, often set to music, and like and comment on others’ videos.
Introduction
Likes are a core part of the TikTok experience. When you post a video, accumulating likes shows that other users enjoyed your content. Seeing the like count on others’ videos similarly helps gauge their popularity.
However, TikTok has some unique rules around liking videos. Likes on the platform are anonymous by default, meaning you can’t see exactly who liked a video unless it’s your own. This encourages more authentic engagement without the social pressures associated with public likes.
Viewing Likes on Your Own Videos
To see who has liked your own videos on TikTok, open the TikTok app and go to the “Profile” tab. Tap on the video you want to view likes for. Underneath the video, you’ll see metrics including views, comments, shares and likes. Tap on the number next to “Likes.” This will open up a list of the usernames of people who have liked your video.
The list shows the most recent likers first. You can scroll down to see earlier likers. Tapping on a username will take you to that user’s profile.
One limitation is that you can only see the first 1000 accounts that liked your video. If your video has more than 1000 likes, you won’t be able to see the full list of users.
Likes on your own videos are public information. Anyone who comes across your video can tap to see the list of accounts that have liked it. There is no way to hide likes on your own videos.
Seeing Likes on Someone Else’s Video
Unlike viewing the likes on your own videos, you cannot see exactly who has liked someone else’s videos on TikTok. Likes on other people’s videos are kept private by default.
When viewing another user’s video, you can see the total number of likes the video has received. However, the identities of each individual liker are not revealed. TikTok intentionally keeps this information private to protect user privacy.
Some users wish they could see who specifically liked videos posted by friends, influencers, or public figures. However, allowing this would remove users’ anonymity and could lead to unwanted attention or harassment.
According to TikTok’s Community Guidelines, “Respect other users’ privacy. Don’t expose people’s private information.” Therefore, TikTok errs on the side of caution and keeps all user likes private by default.
While you can’t see exactly who liked a video, some clever detective work may reveal where likes are coming from. You may notice repetitive comments or usernames liking the same videos. But there is no direct way within TikTok to see private like data from other users’ videos.[1]
Why Likes are Anonymous
TikTok’s main reason for anonymous likes is to create a more positive community and experience for users. The platform wants to de-emphasize the like count as a form of social validation, so users can focus on creating fun and creative content. As the Screenrant article explains, making likes private allows users to feel less pressure and judgement about how many likes they receive on their videos.
TikTok first began testing hiding public like counts in 2019. They officially rolled out the option for all users to hide likes in early 2021. Users now have complete control over whether their like counts are public or private.
The change reflects TikTok’s focus on wellbeing and reducing social comparison on their platform. Users can still see the likes on their own videos in the analytics, but not on others’ content. This creates a more level playing field and rewards creativity over popularity.
Sources:
https://screenrant.com/tiktok-likes-videos-cant-see-hidden-why-explained/
Estimating Like Sources
While you can’t see exactly who liked a video, there are some clues you can use to guess where likes are coming from:
- Check the comments – if the video got a lot of comments from a specific group of followers or fans of a celebrity/influencer, it’s likely that group is also liking the video.
- Look at the number of followers – if the account has 100k teen followers, you can assume a good portion of likes are from teenagers who follow them.
- Watch the views – if a video quickly gets 500k views but only 5k likes, the ratio shows that only a small portion of viewers are liking it.
- See any shares – if the video was shared or “stitched” by other popular TikTokers, their followers are probably liking the original too.
- Track the hashtags – viral hashtag challenges or trends will bring in likes from the broader TikTok community.
While not scientific, looking at these signals can give a general sense of where the likes are originating from. TikTok’s algorithm also shows content to those more likely to engage, suggesting that likes come from interested viewers.
Using TikTok Analytics Tools
While TikTok’s built-in analytics provide some basic metrics, third-party services can give creators a deeper look into their TikTok data and performance. Several platforms have emerged to fill this need for more robust TikTok analytics.
Services like Hootsuite, Loomly, and Keyhole allow users to track metrics like likes, comments, shares, audience demographics, top performing videos, follower growth, engagement rates, and more. They provide insights not readily available on TikTok itself.
These tools pull data directly from TikTok to build detailed analytics dashboards and reports. Most offer different pricing tiers depending on features needed. Some popular features include historical data, competitor benchmarking, account management, and scheduling. While TikTok analytics are limited, third-party solutions open up in-depth tracking and metrics for creators.
Increasing Likes
There are several tips and tricks you can use to get more likes on your TikTok videos and increase engagement:
- Use relevant hashtags – Include a mix of popular and niche hashtags related to your content to help the right audience find your videos. Limit hashtags to around 5-10 per video.
- Engage with your audience – Reply to comments, do duets and react to other videos to connect with viewers. This helps build relationships and encourages likes.
- Post consistently – Uploading videos regularly helps build a loyal following. Aim to post at least once per day.
- Optimize video content – Create fun, interesting videos with good lighting, editing and captions. Trending audios and effects can also help.
- Collaborate with others – Do collaborations, shoutouts or challenges with other creators in your niche. This exposes your content to new audiences.
- Run giveaways and contests – Incentivize likes by offering prizes for liking, commenting or sharing.
- Use relevant captions – Well-written, engaging captions keep viewers interested. Ask questions to spark discussion.
- Analyze your data – Check analytics to see which videos perform best. Make more content like your top videos.
- Promote outside TikTok – Share your videos on other platforms to drive more viewers to your profile.
- Consider paid ads – TikTok ads can help expand your reach and gain more profile visits and likes.
Consistently creating high-quality content and engaging your audience are key to increasing your likes on TikTok organically over time.
Likes vs. Views
When it comes to TikTok, two of the key metrics are likes and views. But which one is more important for measuring the success of a video? There is an ongoing debate about whether TikTok likes or TikTok views matter more.
In general, views tend to be considered more important than likes on TikTok. Views measure how many times a video has been watched, which directly relates to how many people it has reached. More views means greater exposure and discoverability for a video. Likes, on the other hand, indicate how many users enjoyed or appreciated the video but don’t necessarily translate into more visibility on TikTok. A video could receive a lot of views but few likes if people click on it but don’t end up liking what they see.
According to DesktopPipeline, while user engagement in the form of likes is important, views are the primary driver of a video’s performance. TikTok’s algorithm favors videos that accumulate more views, especially quickly, when recommending content across the platform. Videos with more views tend to rank better in search results and get promoted more by TikTok.
That said, likes shouldn’t be discounted entirely. Having an impressive like-to-view ratio can signal a video’s quality and audience retention. If viewers not only click on a video but enjoy it enough to hit “like,” that video may resonate more deeply with viewers. A high number of likes also helps validate your content and account to TikTok. So both metrics are valuable, but views currently take priority in determining a TikTok video’s success.
Future Possibilities
Even though TikTok currently keeps likes anonymous when viewing someone else’s videos, there is some speculation that this could change in the future. Some argue that showing likes publicly could further incentivize creators and help them understand what types of content resonate most with their audience. On the other hand, keeping likes private reduces social pressure and toxic competition, allowing creators to focus on the content itself.
According to a report from Dexerto, TikTok has considered testing non-anonymous likes with a small group of creators. However, the company has not announced any official plans to roll this out more broadly. Given TikTok’s prior statements about limiting social comparison and promoting well-being, any shift on displaying likes would likely be implemented cautiously. For now, likes remain anonymous on others’ videos across the platform.
While the current anonymous likes system seems to align with TikTok’s core values, the company could reevaluate this stance in the future. However, any changes would likely be preceded by thorough research and small-scale tests to prevent unintended consequences. In the near-term, TikTok seems committed to limiting public metrics and keeping its community focused on creative expression over vanity metrics.
Conclusion
In summary, there is currently no way to directly see who has liked someone else’s videos on TikTok. Likes are kept anonymous as part of TikTok’s design to create an environment focused on sharing creativity, not popularity.
While you cannot view individual users who liked a video, the total like count will give you a general sense of a video’s popularity. You can also make reasonable guesses at where likes are coming from based on views, comments, and any shares or mentions. Analytics tools provide some additional insight into top liking demographics.
If you want to boost likes, focus on creating captivating content, using relevant hashtags, collaborating with others, and participating in trends. Quality content that resonates with viewers is what earns genuine engagement on TikTok.
In the future, TikTok may provide creators with more metrics related to their audience and their content’s performance. However, the app is unlikely to add the ability to see who specifically liked a video, as that would contradict their core values.
The anonymity of likes helps keep the focus on the content itself. Overall engagement and enjoyment matter more than individual likes on TikTok. Keep creating fun videos, stay positive, and don’t worry about tracking each person who taps the heart button.
