TikTok is a popular short-form video app that allows users to create, share, and discover 15 to 60 second videos. The app has a “Find Friends” feature that helps users connect and interact with people they may already know on TikTok.
The Find Friends tool allows you to find TikTok accounts of people in your contacts list, as well as friends from Facebook and other social media platforms. You can also search for accounts by username or phone number. TikTok may also suggest accounts to follow based on your interests and activity under the “People You May Know” section.
In this article, we’ll provide an overview of the different ways to use the Find Friends feature on TikTok to connect with existing friends and discover new accounts to follow.
Enabling Find Friends
To enable the Find Friends feature on TikTok, you first need to access the app’s settings. Go to your profile page and tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner. This will open up the menu. Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
Next, tap on “Privacy”. This will allow you to control your privacy settings. Under the “Discoverability” section, there are options to toggle on syncing for your phone contacts and Facebook friends. Enabling these options will allow TikTok to find your friends from those sources and recommend them to you in the app so you can follow each other.
Specifically, toggle on “Sync contacts” to enable finding friends from your phone contacts. Toggle on “Sync Facebook friends” to enable finding friends from your Facebook contacts. You can toggle these on or off at any time. With one or both enabled, TikTok will regularly sync that information and suggest people you may know, making it easier to find and connect with friends on TikTok.
For more information, see the TikTok support article on syncing contacts and Facebook friends: https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/exploring-videos/friends-tab
Finding Friends from Contacts
One way to find and follow friends on TikTok is by syncing your phone contacts. TikTok will compare your contacts to its database of users to look for matches. Here’s how to find friends from your contacts:
1. Open the TikTok app and tap your profile icon in the bottom right.
2. Tap “Add friends” under the Followers count.
3. Next to “Contacts”, tap “Find”.
4. Allow TikTok access to your contacts when prompted.
TikTok will then display a list of contacts that also use TikTok. You can tap “Follow” next to their name to follow them and become friends on TikTok.
This feature makes it easy to find people you already know on TikTok without having to search usernames or phone numbers. It’s a quick way to build up your following and connect with existing friends. Just keep in mind that contacts will also be notified when you follow them from your address book.
Finding Friends from Facebook
You can connect your TikTok account to Facebook in order to find and follow your Facebook friends who also have TikTok accounts. Here’s how to do it:
Open the TikTok app and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right. Then tap on the three line menu button in the top right and select “Settings and privacy”.
Under “Settings”, tap on “Connect to Facebook”. You will be prompted to enter your Facebook login credentials to link the accounts.
Once your accounts are connected, TikTok will automatically start suggesting your Facebook friends to follow under “Suggested” in the Friends tab. You can also search for specific Facebook friends using the search bar.
Connecting to Facebook provides an easy way to find people you already know on TikTok without having to search usernames or phone numbers. It’s a quick way to expand your following and connect with familiar faces on a new platform.
Finding Friends with Username
You can search for friends on TikTok by using their username. Usernames are unique identifiers that each TikTok user chooses for their account. To find someone by their username:
1. Tap the search bar at the top of the TikTok app.
2. Type in the exact username of the person you want to find. Usernames are case sensitive, so make sure to enter it correctly.
3. Tap the search result to go to that user’s profile page. This confirms you have found the correct account.
4. Tap the “+” follow button to send a follow request if you want to follow that user.
5. The user will receive your follow request and can choose to approve or ignore it. Once approved, you will be following each other.
Searching by username is helpful when you know the exact handle of the person you want to find. Usernames are unique and make it easy to locate specific people on TikTok (source: https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/exploring-videos/discover-and-search). With over 1 billion monthly active users, searching by username is the most targeted way to find friends on the platform.
Finding Friends with Phone Number
One way to find friends on TikTok is by searching for a specific phone number. This allows you to locate TikTok profiles connected to phone numbers saved in your contacts.
To find friends by phone number:
- Open the TikTok app and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner.
- Tap “Add Friends” and then tap “Find” next to the Contacts option.
- Allow TikTok access to your contacts when prompted.
- TikTok will search for any contacts in your phone’s address book that have associated TikTok accounts.
- You can then tap “Follow” next to any profiles you want to follow.
This makes it easy to quickly locate people you know who use TikTok but may not have shared their username with you. It’s a handy way to expand your connections on TikTok by leveraging your existing phone contacts.
People You May Know
TikTok has a “People You May Know” feature that suggests other accounts you may want to follow. This section focuses on explaining how TikTok generates these suggestions.
The “People You May Know” recommendations come from a few different sources:
- Your device’s contacts – TikTok accesses your phone’s contacts and matches names/numbers to TikTok accounts.
- Your Facebook friends – If you’ve connected your Facebook account, TikTok will show your Facebook friends who also use TikTok.
- Nearby users – TikTok looks at device location to recommend accounts of other users who are physically close to you.
- Followed hashtags and sounds – TikTok analyzes the hashtags and sounds you engage with to find and recommend similar accounts.
So in summary, the “People You May Know” suggestions are based on connecting your existing contacts and online connections to TikTok accounts. TikTok also analyzes your activity to recommend accounts with similar interests and physical proximity. This feature helps users expand their network on TikTok based on real-life connections and online behavior.
Nearby Users
TikTok has a “Nearby Users” feature that suggests local users for you to follow based on your location. This allows TikTok users to connect with and follow other users who are geographically close to them.
To use the Nearby Users feature, go to the Discover tab in the TikTok app and select “Nearby Users” from the menu. TikTok will then access your device’s location and generate a list of suggested users who are active in your local area.
The Nearby Users section utilizes your phone’s geolocation services to determine your approximate area. It then analyzes user activity data to find which users are frequently posting content tagged with a location near you. These active local users are then recommended to you as suggestions for accounts to follow.
Following nearby and local users can help you connect with creators making content relevant to your city or region. It allows you to support up-and-coming creators in your community and stay updated on trends and events happening close by. The Nearby Users feature makes it easy to find and connect with fellow TikTok users who are close in proximity.
Following Hashtags and Sounds
One way to find friends and connect with users who have similar interests on TikTok is by following popular hashtags and sounds. When you follow a hashtag, you’ll see top videos and creators using that hashtag in your main feed. This allows you to discover new accounts to follow who are posting about topics you care about.
To follow a hashtag, simply search for it on TikTok and tap the “Follow” button next to the hashtag title. You can also tap on a sound used in a video and follow that sound to see other videos using it. TikTok will then populate your For You feed with top videos using those hashtags and sounds.
Following trending hashtags and viral sounds is a great way to be exposed to new content and accounts. As you like, comment on, and interact with those videos, TikTok’s algorithm will start recommending even more tailored content and accounts. This helps you organically find friends and creators relevant to your interests.
According to one source, “By clicking ‘See more’ you’ll discover other videos under the same hashtag” (Source). So exploring hashtags can surface accounts to connect with who are passionate about the same topics as you.
Conclusion
In summary, TikTok offers several ways for users to find and connect with friends on the platform. Users can enable Find Friends to allow TikTok to access their contacts and find connections. They can also link their Facebook account to find Facebook friends on TikTok. Searching by username or phone number can help users find specific people. TikTok also provides recommendations of People You May Know and Nearby Users based on location services, interests, and connections. Users can also follow popular hashtags and sounds to connect with others interested in the same content. Overall, TikTok aims to facilitate an engaging social experience by providing multiple avenues for users to find and befriend new accounts. By leveraging these options, TikTok users can build up a robust network of friends and connections.
