TikTok is a popular short-form video platform that has exploded in popularity in recent years. As of 2023, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide (Source). The app allows users to create and share 15-60 second videos featuring music, comedy, dance, food, and more. Thanks to its fun, entertaining format TikTok has become one of the most downloaded apps globally.
With so many people using TikTok, you may be wondering if you have any friends or contacts already on the platform. TikTok makes it easy to find and connect with people you know by showing mutual friends and allowing you to search names. This article will provide an overview of the different ways you can identify friends, family, coworkers, and other connections that are already using TikTok.
Connect TikTok to Contacts
TikTok has an option to help you find friends and contacts directly in the app. This allows you to connect your TikTok account to your phone’s contact list or Facebook friends list. According to TikTok’s Help Center, “To sync your phone contacts or Facebook friends on TikTok: 1. In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom. 2. Tap the Menu button at the top. 3. Tap Settings and privacy. 4. Tap Suggested accounts. 5. Turn on Contacts or Facebook Friends” (source). Connecting these lists allows TikTok to suggest people you may know who are also on TikTok.
This feature makes it easy to find and follow your friends and contacts who are already using TikTok without having to search for them manually. Once connected, TikTok will populate suggested accounts of people from your contacts list or Facebook friends who have TikTok accounts. You can then easily find and connect with people you know on the platform.
Viewing Followers and Following
One way to see if a contact is on TikTok is by viewing their followers and who they are following. On TikTok, you can see both the followers and following lists of any public account.
To view someone’s followers on TikTok:
- Go to their TikTok profile page
- Tap on the “Followers” number below their bio
- This will show a list of all the accounts following that user
You can scroll through the list to see if any of your contacts are following that account. This can help identify if someone you know has a TikTok account.
Similarly, to view who someone is following on TikTok:
- Go to their profile page
- Tap on the “Following” number
- This will show all the accounts that user follows
Again, scrolling through this list can potentially reveal TikTok accounts belonging to your contacts if they show up in the user’s Following list.
A limitation is that this only works for public accounts. Private accounts on TikTok do not display their followers or following lists publicly. In that case, other methods may be needed to determine if a contact is on TikTok.
Searching Names
One way to find friends on TikTok is by searching their name directly. TikTok has a search bar that allows you to type in a specific username to see if that person has an account. When searching a name, it will show the account profile if it exists. For example, searching “John123” might pull up a user profile by that name if it is registered on TikTok. If the name searched does not have an associated account, it will say “Couldn’t find this account” to indicate that person is not currently on the platform.
According to TikTok’s Discover and Search support page, you can search for usernames, specific videos, sounds, hashtags, or LIVE videos from the main search bar. This makes it easy to look up your friends if you know their account names. TikTok’s search function allows you to quickly see if someone you know has a presence on the app or not.
Finding Friends Feature
TikTok has a Finding Friends feature that suggests accounts to follow based on your phone contacts. When you go to the Find Friends section in the app and tap “Find” next to Contacts, TikTok will display a list of contacts from your phone who also have TikTok accounts.
This feature shows you any mutual friends or contacts you have that are also using TikTok. For each suggested account, it shows the name and profile photo from your contacts, along with a Follow button to easily follow them on TikTok. This provides an easy way to connect and find people you may know in real life who are also using the app.
According to TikTok’s support article, to use the Finding Friends from your Contacts feature: “In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom. Tap Add Friends. Next to Contacts, tap Find. Allow TikTok to access your contacts.” https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/followers-and-following/finding-friends-from-your-contacts
This connects your existing relationships and contacts to your TikTok account, helping you discover mutual friends and expanding your network on the platform.
Contact Syncing
One way TikTok allows you to see which of your contacts are on the platform is through its contact syncing feature. When enabled, TikTok will automatically check your phone’s contacts against existing TikTok users and notify you when any of your contacts join TikTok [1].
To enable contact syncing, go to your profile, tap the menu button, select “Settings and privacy”, then “Privacy”, and turn on “Sync contacts” [2]. You can choose to sync just your phone contacts or also connect your Facebook friends. Once enabled, TikTok will periodically match your contacts and show you notifications when any have created TikTok accounts. This allows you to easily find and follow people you already know on the platform.
Facebook Friends on TikTok
One way to find contacts on TikTok is by connecting your Facebook account. TikTok allows users to link their Facebook profile in order to find friends and followers. When you connect the accounts, TikTok will display a list of your Facebook friends who also have TikTok accounts.
To link accounts, go to your TikTok profile and tap the three-line menu icon in the top right. Select “Settings and privacy” then “Facebook.” Tap “Log in” and enter your Facebook login credentials. Once connected, TikTok will show your Facebook friends under the “Friends” tab on your profile. This makes it easy to find and follow people you already know on Facebook who are also using TikTok.
Connecting your Facebook account to TikTok is a simple way to quickly locate friends, family members, and acquaintances that have TikTok profiles. It allows you to easily connect and start interacting with your broader social network on the platform.
Private Accounts
Private TikTok accounts prevent others from viewing their content unless they are approved followers. However, there are a few ways to identify if someone you know has a private TikTok account.
You can search for their name directly on TikTok to see if their account comes up. Private accounts will not display any of their videos or profile information, but you can still see their profile photo and bio. This indicates the account is private and likely belongs to them (1).
Another method is checking their profiles on other social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook. People often use the same profile picture across accounts, so you may be able to match their photo to a private TikTok account (2).
Friends features like Facebook’s friend suggestion tool may also reveal if someone you know has a private TikTok linked to their Facebook. The feature compares your friends lists and can recommend accounts on other platforms (1).
While you won’t be able to see their content, these methods can help identify if someone you know has a private TikTok account.
(1) https://www.guru99.com/how-to-view-private-tiktok-accounts.html
(2) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-view-private-tiktok-accounts-guru99-r5evf
Other Discovery Methods
In addition to searching for names and connecting contacts, there are a couple other ways you may discover friends on TikTok without directly searching for them.
One method is seeing likes or comments from people you may know. When viewing a video’s likes or comments, you may notice familiar names of people you know but don’t follow on TikTok. Tapping on their name will take you to their profile so you can confirm if it’s them and choose to follow them. This can help you find friends organically while using TikTok normally.
You may also stumble upon familiar faces in videos that are shared or recommended to you. TikTok’s algorithm tries to show you content relevant to your interests and connections. So videos from your friends may end up in your feed, even if you don’t follow them. If you recognize someone, you can tap their username that appears with the video to check out their profile and potentially follow them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are several main ways to discover contacts on TikTok. You can view a user’s followers and who they are following to see if any contacts or friends show up there. The Search feature allows you to enter names to look for specific people’s accounts. TikTok also has a Finding Friends feature that matches your contacts and suggests accounts to follow. Additionally, TikTok can sync contacts from your phone or from connected social media like Facebook.
However, keep in mind that private accounts will not display the account’s username or profile photo to non-followers. So you may not be able to identify contacts if their account is private. This highlights the importance of being careful with your own account privacy settings on TikTok. Controlling who can see your content and account information helps prevent unwanted contact from strangers.
