TikTok is a popular social media platform known for its short videos. In addition to posting videos, TikTok also has a messaging feature that allows users to communicate directly with each other.
One aspect of messaging on TikTok is the ability to mute other users. When you mute someone on TikTok, you stop receiving notifications for any new messages they send you. Their messages do not show up in your inbox at all. However, muting is different than blocking someone. When you block a user, they can no longer view your profile or contact you in any way.
This article will provide an overview of how muting works on TikTok and the impacts it has from the perspective of both the muted user and the user who mutes. It will cover group chats, comments, likes, privacy settings, and more.
Muting vs Blocking
When you mute someone on TikTok, you are removing their comments, messages, and any other direct interactions from your view, without completely blocking them. Muting is different from blocking, which prevents you and the other user from viewing each other’s profiles or content altogether.
Muting allows you to hide a user’s messages and comments to you, but it does not prevent them from viewing your profile or content. The muted user can still see your posts, follow you, share your content, and interact with you in public comment sections. However, you will no longer see any of their direct messages or comments to you.
In contrast, blocking prevents all interaction between you and the blocked user. When you block someone, they can no longer view your profile, posts, or stories. You also won’t be able to view their profile or content. Essentially blocking cuts off all connection on TikTok.
So in summary, muting hides a user’s direct interactions with you, while still allowing some public interaction. Blocking disables all interaction in both directions.[1]
Muted User’s Perspective
When you mute someone on TikTok, it prevents you from receiving any notifications from that user. However, muting does not block them completely. The muted user can still send you messages, but you will not get any notification that they messaged you.
If the muted user sends you a message, they will still see the “delivered” status under their message. This gives the muted user the false impression that you have seen their message, even though you have not because you have muted them. There is no indication to the muted user that you will not actually receive their messages.
In summary, from the muted user’s perspective:
- They can still send messages to you
- They will not get any notification if you don’t respond
- Their message status will remain “delivered”
The key takeaway is that muting prevents notifications, but does not completely block messaging capabilities. The muted user is essentially messaging you in a one-sided conversation without realizing you cannot see their messages.
Muting User’s Perspective
When you mute someone on TikTok, you will no longer see any messages from that user in your inbox or notifications. Any new messages sent by the muted user will automatically be archived. According to this TechZillo article, “If you mute someone on TikTok, any messages they send you will be automatically archived. You won’t get notifications or see the messages in your inbox.”
Muting is not permanent, and you can unmute a user at any time to see their messages again. The mute feature simply helps you control who can message you on TikTok without having to block or unfollow them entirely. It gives you more options to manage conversations and your inbox.
Group Chats
When you mute someone from a group chat on TikTok, you still see messages sent to the group by the muted person, but you won’t get notifications for those messages (source). You can still participate in the group chat as normal and reply to messages, excluding the muted person.
Muting in group chats is done on a per-chat basis. If you mute someone in one group chat, they won’t be muted in other chats you share (source). To mute them across all group chats, you’ll need to mute them in each chat individually.
To mute someone in a TikTok group chat, tap the group name at the top of the chat screen, then tap “Mute [username]” (source). You can unmute them any time by tapping “Unmute [username]”.
Comments and Live Videos
When a user is muted on TikTok, it does not affect the muted user’s ability to comment on videos or participate in Live videos. The muted user’s comments will still be visible to the muting user. According to TikTok’s Help Center, “Muting only stops you from receiving notifications – it doesn’t block users from interacting with your content” (source).
So if User A mutes User B, User B can still comment on User A’s videos and see User A’s Live videos. User A simply won’t get notifications about User B’s activity. Muting has no effect on the muted user’s ability to view, comment on, or engage with content (source). The muting user is the only one impacted – they stop seeing the muted user’s comments, but the muted user can still participate normally.
In summary, muting on TikTok does not hide a user’s comments or prevent them from accessing Live videos. It only limits notifications for the muting user.
Duets and Stitches
Muting a user on TikTok does not prevent that user from being able to duet your videos. The muted user can still duet your videos as normal even after you’ve muted them. You just won’t see the duets show up in your notifications or feed once posted [1].
However, you can still view duets of your videos made by the muted user. To see these, go to your profile, tap on the video that was duetted, and then tap “See all duets”. This will show you all public duets of that video, including any made by users you have muted.
Similarly, muting a user does not prevent them from being able to stitch your videos. But you won’t see any new stitches they make show up in your notifications. You can still view all public stitches of your videos by going to your profile and tapping “See all stitches” on the video that was stitched [2].
So in summary, muting a user does not stop them from interacting with your content via duets and stitches. It simply prevents their interactions from appearing in your feed and notifications.
Likes and Views
Just because you’ve muted a user on TikTok does not prevent them from interacting with your content. Muted users can still view, like, and comment on your videos according to TikTok’s Help Center article (https://support.tiktok.com/en/privacy-safety/block-accounts-you-dont-want-to-interact-with).
When you mute someone, their likes and views on your videos will still be counted and visible to you and others. The key difference from the muted user’s perspective is that while they can see and engage with your content, you won’t receive any notifications about their activity. So they can watch, like, and comment to their heart’s content, but you’ll be blissfully unaware.
Some TikTokers mute other users preemptively, knowing that the muted person can still boost their stats through views and engagement. For someone focused on growth, muting allows isolating an account from notifications while still benefitting from its audience size. Just be aware that comment moderation will be required to hide unwanted feedback.
Privacy Settings
One of the most important things to consider when muting someone on TikTok is how it affects your privacy settings. TikTok allows you to control who can interact with you in various ways through its privacy settings.
For example, you can set your account so that only people you follow can message you directly. This prevents random users from being able to send you messages if you’ve muted them. You can also limit who can duet or stitch your videos, preventing muted users from engaging with your content in those ways.
Making your account private is another option that gives you more control. This means only approved followers can view your videos, likes and follows. So muting someone wouldn’t allow them to see any of your activity at all if your account is set to private.
TikTok’s privacy settings allow you to customize your experience and limit unwanted interactions. Using these settings thoughtfully in conjunction with muting can help you gain more control over who engages with your account.
Conclusion
To recap the main points, muting someone on TikTok prevents their content from appearing in your Following feed but does not outright block them. The muted user can still see your profile, videos, and activity on the app. Their messages will still come through unless you also block them. Muting is useful for reducing annoying content while maintaining a connection.
Muting alone minimizes but does not completely block a user’s presence. Other privacy controls like disabling comments, limiting duets/stitches, and using FYP filters remain useful. Muting provides more granular control over your feed and is less extreme than blocking. Use it judiciously along with other settings to curate the experience you want on TikTok.
