TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users as of September 2022 (Source). The platform allows users to watch, create, and share short videos that often feature dancing, comedy, talent, or other lighthearted content. One of the key engagement features of TikTok is the ability to “like” videos by tapping the heart icon.
When you like a video on TikTok, it communicates to the creator that you enjoyed their content. You can view all of the videos that you’ve liked in your “Likes” feed. However, an important question around using the like feature is – can other people see the videos you’ve liked? This article will examine how liking videos works on TikTok and the privacy settings around your likes.
Your Likes Page
One of the key features of TikTok is the ability to like videos. When you like a video, it gets added to your Likes page on your profile. This page shows all the videos you have liked while using TikTok. By default, your Likes page is visible to anyone who visits your profile https://www.tiktok.com/foryou. They simply need to tap on the “Liked” tab on your profile to see all the videos you have liked.
So unless you change your settings, other users can get a glimpse at the types of videos you enjoy watching on TikTok by looking at your Likes page. They can see which creators you support and the content you find funny, informative or entertaining. This allows others to learn more about your interests and taste in videos.
Private Account Settings
One of the main ways to keep your Likes private on TikTok is to make your account private. According to TikTok’s Help Center, “Making your account private hides your Likes. Only your followers will be able to see the videos you’ve Liked” (https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/exploring-videos/liking). When your account is set to private, your Likes page will not be visible to anyone except your approved followers.
To make your TikTok account private:
- Go to your profile page
- Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner
- Select “Privacy and settings”
- Toggle on “Private account”
With a private account, you have much more control over who can see your Likes and other account activity. This is the best option if you want to keep your Likes completely hidden from anyone except your followers.
Deleting Liked Videos
If you want to unlike a video you previously liked, you can easily delete individual likes to remove them from your Likes page and undo the like. Here’s how to delete likes on TikTok:
- Go to your profile and tap on the Likes tab.
- Find the video you want to unlike and tap on the heart icon below it.
- This will unlike the video and remove it from your Likes.
Deleting likes like this will remove them from your Likes page that other users can see. It essentially undoes the like, so the video will no longer appear as liked by you anywhere on TikTok. This can be helpful if you want to tidy up your Likes feed or remove likes from any videos you don’t want publicly associated with your profile.
Liking Videos Privately
By default, all the videos you like on TikTok are public and viewable by your followers. However, you can like videos privately so that only you can see them in your Liked videos list.
To like a video privately, simply tap and hold the heart icon when watching a video. This will toggle between a regular like and a private like. When you tap and hold, the heart icon will turn grey to indicate your like is now private.
According to TikTok’s support page, private likes will only be visible to you in your Likes page. Your followers will not be able to see which videos you’ve privately liked. This gives you more control over your privacy when browsing videos on TikTok.
Commenting and Duetting
Others can see comments and duets you make on videos unless your account is set to private. When you comment on or duet someone’s video, it will be visible on your profile page to your followers and anyone else who visits your profile.
Duets in particular attach your content directly to someone else’s video. The original video creator can choose to remove your duet, but it will remain public on your profile until then. According to TikTok’s help center, “That person’s privacy settings will determine who can watch, comment on, download, or interact with the Duet.” https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/duets
So unless your account is set to private, your comments and duets are considered public interactions on TikTok that anyone can see.
Livestreams
When you go live on TikTok, the likes and comments you receive during the livestream are public. This means that anyone who views the livestream, either while it’s happening or afterwards as a replay, can see who liked and commented. There’s no option to like or comment privately during a TikTok livestream.
TikTok explains that keeping livestream interactions public helps build community and encourages participation (https://www.tiktok.com/live/creators/en-UK/article/live-safety). However, if you’re concerned about keeping your interactions private, it’s best to avoid liking or commenting during livestreams.
Downloads and Screen Recordings
If someone downloads or screen records a video you’ve liked, your like may be visible to them. TikTok does not currently notify users if their videos are downloaded or screen recorded [1]. This means someone could potentially record a video you’ve liked without you knowing.
If you like a live video, the streamer has the option to enable screen recording permissions for viewers. If enabled, your like will be visible if someone records the livestream [2]. You can avoid this by liking live videos after the stream has ended.
Overall, it’s important to be mindful of what you like if you want to keep your activity private. Consider liking fewer videos or using a private account if you’re concerned about visibility.
Protecting Your Privacy
If you want to like videos on TikTok more privately, here are some tips:
Make your account private – This prevents people who don’t follow you from seeing your likes and other account activity (TikTok Help Center).
Set your liked videos to “Only Me” – Go to your profile, tap the three dots, choose Privacy and Safety, then Liked Videos. Select “Only Me” (Mashable).
Unlike videos after watching – You can always unlike a video after watching it so it doesn’t stay in your likes.
Use a private account to like videos – Likes and other activity on private accounts are only visible to approved followers.
Avoid liking videos from people you know – They will be notified and able to see your like.
Turn off notifications – Disable “Likes” notifications in settings so you don’t notify others when you like their videos.
Be selective with liking – Only like videos you really want to save and minimize your total likes.
Summary
There are a few key ways likes can be seen or hidden on TikTok:
-
Your Likes page shows all the videos you’ve liked, unless your account is set to private.
-
Making your account private prevents other users from seeing your Likes page and its content.
-
You can delete individual liked videos to remove them from your Likes page.
-
Tapping the share icon on a video allows you to like it without showing it publicly on your Likes page.
-
Likes on comments, duets, and livestreams are always private.
-
Downloads or screen recordings of your Likes page could expose your likes to others.
In summary, likes on regular TikTok videos are public by default, but there are settings and techniques you can use to control the privacy of your likes if desired.
