What are Suggested Searches on TikTok?
Suggested searches are keywords and phrases that appear under the search bar in the TikTok app when you enter a search term. They are designed to help users discover additional content that may be relevant to their interests.
When you search for a topic on TikTok, the algorithm looks at your previous activity and searches to find related topics you may also want to explore. It then displays these as suggested searches below your search bar.
For example, if you search for “dogs”, TikTok may show suggested searches like “puppies”, “dog tricks”, or “cute dogs”. This allows you to easily find more videos about subtopics related to dogs.
Suggested searches are TikTok’s way of providing recommendations and helping users find more videos and content around their interests. They aim to improve the search experience and surface new content you may not have thought to look for otherwise.
Why Remove Suggested Searches?
There are several reasons why someone may want to remove suggested searches on TikTok:
- Privacy concerns – The suggested searches that appear are based on your previous activity on TikTok. Some users may feel uncomfortable with TikTok tracking their interests to such a detailed degree and want to minimize the amount of personal data TikTok collects.
- Irrelevant results – The algorithm isn’t perfect, so sometimes the suggested searches may include topics or keywords that you have no interest in. Removing them helps refocus recommendations around your real interests.
- Inappropriate content – In some cases, offensive or inappropriate terms can appear in suggested searches, especially for younger users. Clearing these terms out helps keep the app experience more positive.
- Redundant suggestions – Over time, the same suggested search terms may appear repeatedly even if you have no plans to search for them. Removing these repetitive suggestions helps keep the feature useful.
- Start fresh – Some users want to wipe the slate completely clean and start over with a fresh set of suggested searches untainted by their prior history.
Overall, removing suggested searches allows users to tailor the TikTok experience to their needs and take control over what information the app presents to them.
Clear Search History
Clearing your search history is the most straightforward way to remove suggested searches on TikTok. This will wipe your entire search history clean, removing those searches from being used to populate your suggested results.
To clear your TikTok search history:
– Open the TikTok app and tap on the profile icon in the bottom right corner.
– Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
– Choose “Clear cache” under “App settings”.
– Tap on “Clear search history” to remove all previous searches.
You can also delete individual searches by tapping “Manage search history”, selecting searches, and deleting them.
Clearing your search history completely will remove all previous searches from being used to generate suggested results tailored to you (Source: https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/how-to-delete-tiktok-search-history-2156410/). This is the most surefire way to eliminate any unwanted or inappropriate suggestions from your account’s search bar.
Turn Off Personalized Recommendations
You can stop TikTok from showing you personalized search suggestions based on your watching history and interactions by turning off this feature in your account settings.
To disable personalized recommendations:
- Open the TikTok app and tap on the profile icon in the bottom right corner.
- Go to the menu (three horizontal lines) in the upper right corner and select “Settings and privacy.”
- Tap on “Content recommendations.”
- Toggle off “Personalized recommendations” to stop tailored suggestions.
With this setting disabled, your searches and recommended videos will no longer be influenced by your previous activity on TikTok. However, you may still see general trending search terms and recommendations that are popular among all users.
Block Specific Words
You can block specific keywords from appearing in TikTok’s suggested searches by using the “Filter comments” feature in your privacy settings. Here’s how:
- Go to your profile and tap the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner.
- Select “Settings and privacy” then tap “Privacy.”
- Under “Comments,” tap “Filter comments.”
- Tap “Keywords” then “+ Add keywords.”
- Type in the words or phrases you want to block from suggested searches. You can input multiple keywords separated by commas.
- Tap “Save” after entering your blocked keywords.
TikTok will now filter any suggestions containing those keywords when you use the search bar. This prevents videos with those terms from appearing in your recommendations feed as well [1]. If you want to remove any blocked keywords later, simply tap “Edit list” next to “Keywords” in your filter settings.
Some common words people choose to block include profanity, racial slurs, sexually explicit terms, and references to drugs or illegal activity. But you can customize your blocked keywords to filter any suggestions you don’t want to see.
Use Anonymous Viewing
One way to avoid getting personalized suggested searches on TikTok is to use the platform’s anonymous viewing feature (TikTok Help Center). This allows you to browse TikTok without logging in to your account. When viewing TikTok anonymously, the app won’t be able to tailor suggested searches based on your personal interests and past activity.
To use anonymous viewing on TikTok:
- Open the TikTok app and tap the profile icon in the bottom right.
- Select “Log out” to sign out of your account.
- Tap “Continue without an account” to start browsing anonymously.
While viewing anonymously, TikTok won’t record any of your activity or impact the suggested searches shown to your regular account. This essentially resets the app’s understanding of your interests, removing any personalized suggested searches in the process. It’s a simple way to get unfiltered search recommendations not tailored specifically to you.
Start Fresh with a New Account
One way to completely remove your previous search history and start fresh is to create a brand new TikTok account. When you create a new account, TikTok won’t have any of your previous viewing history or account information to personalize suggested searches.
To start fresh, first create a new TikTok account using a different email address and username. Be sure to log out of your old account so it doesn’t influence the suggestions on your new profile. Once your new account is set up, TikTok will only suggest searches based on your new activity in the app, without any influence from your previous searches and engagement. This allows you to build up suggestions organically based solely on how you use your new account.
According to Reddit users, creating a new TikTok account is the most surefire way to reset your suggested searches and start completely fresh without any residue from your old account’s history (source). While you’ll be starting over from scratch, this method gives you full control over what TikTok recommends in your searches.
Report Inappropriate Suggestions
If you see suggested searches that are irrelevant, disturbing, or otherwise inappropriate, you can report them directly to TikTok.
To report a suggested search, tap on the three dots next to it. This will open a menu – select “Report” and follow the prompts to submit a report to TikTok.
In the report, be sure to explain why you feel the suggested search is inappropriate. TikTok moderators will review your report and may remove the search suggestion if it violates their community guidelines.
Reporting inappropriate searches helps TikTok improve the relevancy and safety of suggestions for all users. While not every report may lead to a removal, reporting is an important way to provide feedback on the algorithm’s suggestions.
You can also turn off search suggestions entirely to avoid seeing inappropriate recommendations. This prevents TikTok from learning about your interests over time, but ensures you only see search terms you intentionally type in.
Use a Different Platform
If users find the suggested searches on TikTok to be bothersome or inappropriate, one option is to use a different platform altogether. YouTube, for example, is another popular video-sharing platform with many similarities to TikTok. While YouTube also provides some personalized recommendations based on watch history, users typically have more control over their viewing experience.
According to Clipchamp, YouTube videos tend to be longer, more formal productions compared to the spontaneous, authentic style of TikTok. However, YouTube offers more monetization opportunities through its Partner Program. For creators hoping to make money from their content, YouTube may provide a better alternative.
The choice between TikTok and YouTube depends on each user’s preferences and goals. But for those bothered by TikTok’s suggested searches, YouTube provides a way to continue engaging with video content in a different environment.
The Future of Suggested Searches
TikTok is continuously evolving and testing new features to improve the user experience. Based on recent announcements, it seems likely that TikTok will make further changes to how its algorithm handles suggested searches.
In August 2022, TechCrunch reported that TikTok was testing a new feature to enhance search capabilities on the app (source). The goal seems to be improving relevancy and personalization of suggested searches. TikTok may use context like hashtags, captions, and user engagement to better tailor recommendations.
TikTok is also exploring ways to curb harmful or inappropriate suggested searches, especially for younger users. As covered by The Daily Dot in June 2023, the app may restrict certain words from suggested searches or disable the feature entirely for accounts under 16 years old (source).
In summary, TikTok is likely to continue refining its algorithm to provide more useful, relevant, and safe suggested search results. More personalization, context-aware recommendations, and guardrails seem to be on the horizon as TikTok evolves this feature.
