What Friends Only Means on TikTok: Improve Your Privacy

Did you know that you can select a specific audience for individual TikTok videos? If you have a public profile, for example, you can publish content only for your TikTok Friends. Find out what Friends Only means on TikTok and learn about the different privacy options for individual posts to build better connections with friends. 

What Friends Only Means on TikTok: Understanding Your Video’s Privacy Settings 

TikTok offers two primary privacy options in terms of account type: public and private. For both types, users can also customize the privacy of individual videos to share content with friends.

Let’s take a closer look at how TikTok’s privacy settings work. 

Public vs. Private Profiles: Which One To Choose

Choosing between a public and private account immediately determines who can access your profile page and content. Public accounts are the ideal option for businesses, public personalities, content creators, and anyone looking to grow a following on the platform. Private accounts, on the other hand, are best for regular users. 

With a public account, anyone on TikTok can follow you, watch your public videos, and see your list of Followers. You can turn off the Duet, Stitch, or the Download video function for select posts. Your public content may also appear in searches, other social media platforms, and external pages. 

With a private account, you’ll have more control over who can follow you and access your content. The Duet, Stitch, and Download functions are also automatically disabled for private profiles. 

The following applies to both types of accounts:

• Anyone on or off TikTok can search for you and view your profile photo, username, nickname, and Follower, Following, and Like counts. 
• You can change the privacy of individual videos to limit their audience. 
• You can turn Comments on or off, decide who can send you Direct Messages, restrict access to your Following list, and more. 

To switch to a public or private account and explore your privacy options, go to your Profile>Menu>Settings and Privacy>Privacy. 

Choosing Your Video Privacy: Everyone, Followers, or Friends Only

Whether you’re using a public or private profile, you can customize the audience of individual videos you’ve already published or before posting. However, you’ll have different audience options for a public and private account. 

To choose your video’s audience before posting, just follow these steps:

1. Create or upload your video.
2. On the Editing page, tap the gear icon/Settings button on the right. 
3. Select your audience. If you’re using a public account, your options are Everyone, Friends, and Only you. If you’re using a private account, your options are Followers, Friends, and Only you. 
4. Finish editing your video, then tap Next. 
5. You can also change the audience of your video on the Post page. Tap your previously selected audience, then choose a new one. 
6. Finish your post and tap Post. 

To change the audience of a published post:

1. Go to your Profile. 
2. Select the video you want to update. 
3. Tap the three dots in the bottom right. 
4. Swipe left and tap Privacy settings. 
5. Select your new audience. 

What does Friends Only mean on TikTok? The Friends option limits your audience to followers you follow back. These are people who are on both your Follower and Following lists. They’re typically your real-life friends, including your family and actual friends. 

Other Ways To Customize a Video’s Privacy

The audience you choose also determines who can engage with the post, i.e., send a like or comment. If you choose Everyone as the audience for a specific video, everyone can like and comment on it. If you choose Friends, only followers you follow back can like and comment on the post. If you choose Only you, the post will only be visible to you. 

You also have the option to limit comments for a post, either before posting or after. Here’s how to do it:

1. Before posting: On the Editing page, tap the video Settings button. Tap the toggle next to Allow comments to turn it on or off. You can also disable commenting on the Post page. Tap More options, then tap the toggle next to Allow comments. 
2. For an existing post: Go to your Profile and select the video you want to update. Tap the three dots in the bottom right. Swipe left, then tap Privacy settings. Tap the toggle next to Allow comments. 

When you turn on commenting for a particular video after turning it off, only its selected audience will be able to comment. If you’re enabling Comments because you want to boost engagement for a post, remember to also change the post’s audience to Everyone or Followers. 

Additionally, you can also enable or disable these other functions:

• Duet: Allow or don’t allow your selected audience to use your video in a Duet. 
• Stitch: Allow or don’t allow your selected audience to use your video in a Stitch. 
• Stickers: Allow or don’t allow your selected audience to create Stickers from your video.
• Add to Story: Allow or don’t allow your selected audience to add your post to their Stories.  

Keep Your Followers Close and Your Friends Closer

Now that you know what Friends Only means on TikTok, you can share private content with a select group of followers. You can enjoy more privacy and get more personal with a simple change in a video’s privacy settings. 

If you need help boosting your reach and gaining more fans, sign up for a High Social plan! With High Social’s advanced, proprietary AI targeting algorithm, your videos will find their way to the feeds of more genuinely interested viewers. Connect with audiences who share your interests and are most likely to hit your Follow button. 

Start growing your TikTok with High Social today!

Frequently Asked Questions 

What’s the difference between Friends and Followers on TikTok? Let’s answer a few more FAQs to sum up everything you need to know about TikTok’s Friends category. 

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