TikTok is a popular short-form video app where users can create and share 15 second to 3 minute videos. The app has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. On TikTok, users can follow other accounts, like and comment on videos, send direct messages, and go live.
TikTok sends various notifications to users to alert them about activity happening on their own videos and profile. Some of the main notifications TikTok sends include:
Profile Views
Profile views on TikTok allow you to see a list of users who have visited your profile. This feature doesn’t notify users when you view their profile, but it does notify you when someone views yours.
To enable profile view notifications, go to your settings and toggle on “Profile View History”. Once enabled, you’ll get notifications any time someone visits your profile. These notifications appear in your inbox and show the username of who viewed your profile.
According to TikTok’s help page, profile views only show “the last 30 days of account views” (source). So you can’t see a full history of everyone who has ever viewed your profile. The feature is limited to recent views.
It’s also worth noting that if someone views your profile while logged out of their account or in private/incognito mode, it will not show up in your profile view history (source).
In summary, profile views allow TikTok creators to see who has recently looked at their profile. It provides notifications when your profile is viewed, giving creators insight into their audience.
Follower Notifications
When someone new follows you on TikTok, you will get a notification. TikTok sends these follower notifications to your activity feed and also as push notifications to your device if you have notifications enabled.
The follower notification in your activity feed will show the user’s profile photo, username, and the time they followed you. If you tap on it, you can go directly to that user’s profile. The push notification will say “Someone from [location] just followed you on TikTok” and allow you to open the app.
TikTok also has an option to display new follower notifications on your profile. This is called the “Follower Counter” and it will show the location and how recently someone followed you. For example, it could say “Someone from New York followed you 10 minutes ago.” You can enable this feature in your profile settings.
According to https://widget-aa51cec790894ad6bc9f8a0909f5e1a9.elfsig.ht/, this follower counter provides social proof and engagement for your profile. Each new follower notification remains on your profile for about one hour before disappearing.
Likes
TikTok does send notifications when someone likes your content, but it’s not guaranteed you will receive them right away or at all. According to TikTok’s Help Center, you can customize your notification settings to choose if you want to receive notifications for new likes. However, the notifications may not show up instantly on your device – there can be a delay before they appear.
There’s also a chance you might not get a notification at all, even with likes notifications enabled. As noted on Reddit and Quora, if someone quickly likes and then unlikes your video, the notification may not have time to trigger before it’s rescinded. The speed of rescinding a like determines if a notification is sent. TikTok also does not push notifications directly to device home screens, so you would need to manually check the app.
Overall, while TikTok does have the capability to notify you of new likes, the system does not guarantee you will receive notifications instantly or at all, due to delays and the ability to quickly undo a like before a notification sends. Checking your likes within the app itself is the best way to accurately see your total likes.
Comments
When someone comments on your TikTok video or replies to your comment, you will receive a notification. This allows you to engage with your audience and reply to comments.
To enable comment notifications, go to your settings and ensure “New comments” is toggled on under “Push notifications.” This will send a push notification to your device each time you receive a new comment.
You can also opt to receive email notifications for new comments. In settings go to “Privacy and safety” then “Email notifications” and toggle on “New comments on my posts.”
However, if you have your account set to private, you will not receive notifications for comments from users you don’t follow. You’ll only be notified of comments from your followers.
When you receive a comment notification, it will show the comment text and allow you to quickly view the comment and reply. Keeping comment notifications on is important for engaging your audience and building your community.
According to TikTok Support, notifications for new comments on your videos may be delayed up to an hour (source). However, most comment notifications arrive in real-time. Stay active in replying to keep users engaged!
Mentions
When someone mentions your username in a comment or caption on TikTok, you will receive a notification for it. Mentions show up in your Notifications inbox under the “Mentions” tab. According to TikTok’s Help Center article on notifications, you can tap on the “Mentions” tab to see all notifications when someone has mentioned you in a comment or caption (source).
Mentions notifications can be an important way to keep track of when other users are engaging with your content or trying to get your attention. However, some users have reported issues with mentions notifications not working properly. If you stop receiving mentions notifications on TikTok, there are a few troubleshooting tips to try like updating the app, checking your notification settings, and contacting TikTok support (source).
Direct Messages
TikTok allows users to send direct messages (DMs) to each other through the app. When someone sends you a direct message, you will get a notification on TikTok. The notification will show you a preview of the message. Tapping on the notification will open the message in the Direct Messages section of the app.
You can control your DM notifications in your device’s settings. On iOS, go to Settings > Notifications > TikTok to manage notifications. On Android, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > TikTok. Here you can enable/disable different types of DM notifications.
In addition to regular DMs, TikTok has a message request system. If you have your message requests enabled, you will get notifications when someone you don’t follow tries to message you. You can choose to accept or ignore these requests. Accepting the request will allow the user to message you directly.
According to this source, some troubleshooting steps for DM notification issues include restarting your phone, checking sound settings, and updating the TikTok app.
Live Videos
When you go live on TikTok, there are a few different types of notifications you may receive related to who is watching your live video stream:
New Viewers: As people join your live video, you’ll get a notification showing their username and profile photo. This lets you see in real-time when new viewers start watching.
Comments: If anyone comments on your live video, you’ll get a notification with their comment text. This allows you to see and respond to comments from your viewers.
Gifts: If viewers send you virtual gifts during your livestream, you’ll receive a notification showing the gift icon, their username, and message if they included one. Gifts are a way for viewers to show support and interact during a live video.
Shares: If someone shares your live video to their own followers, you’ll get a notification about it. This helps you track how far your live broadcast is reaching.
So in summary, TikTok aims to keep live streamers informed about key viewer activities like joining, commenting, gifting and sharing. This gives you insight into who is watching and how they are engaging in real time.
Shares
When someone shares your TikTok video, you will not receive a notification informing you of this. TikTok does not have a feature that alerts creators when their content gets shared by others on the platform. However, you can still track the total number of shares your videos receive through TikTok Analytics. This can be accessed by tapping the three dots on the right side of the video and selecting “View analytics.” The analytics page will display the total share count for that particular video.
Some TikTok users on Reddit and Quora have reported occasionally getting a notification saying “Someone just viewed the video you shared” even when they didn’t actively share a video themselves. This confusing notification seems to be a glitch and does not reliably inform creators about their content being shared.
Overall, while you won’t get notified when someone shares your video, TikTok Analytics provides creators with insight into how often their content gets shared. Checking the share count regularly can give you an idea of which videos are resonating most with your audience and being widely shared on TikTok.
Conclusion
To summarize, the main notifications TikTok sends include likes, comments, mentions, direct messages, live video views, shares, and new followers. Push notifications for all of these activities can be enabled in settings to receive alerts on your device when not actively using the app. The notification features allow users to stay connected and see engagement on their content in real time. While TikTok does not send notifications every single time someone views your profile, the key events that help build an audience and foster community are covered through its notification system.
In addition, notifications provide insight into which content and interactions are resonating most with viewers. By understanding notification types on TikTok, users can better leverage the app’s tools to reach their target audience.
