A lot of us use TikTok as a distraction from daily life. It’s easy to procrastinate when you’re only committing to one 15 -second video, or two, or three. With its notoriously well-targeted algorithm, it’s easy to get completely immersed in the app and lose track of time. But now you have the option to get rid of some of the features on the app that might be distracting you. In other words, you can eliminate the distraction, from the distraction. Clear mode offers a whole new experience of the app.
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What is clear mode?
TikTok began testing clear mode in May, and the feature is now available to the public. This feature allows you to remove the normal UI buttons that are overlaid on top of videos. This means that you can now look at a video in its entirety if you choose, with no likes, comments or other buttons visible on top of it. The feature still enables you to write a comment at the bottom of the screen or exit clear mode, but apart from this, every other feature is invisible. This will be useful for viewing videos where captions may be obscured by these buttons, or to see a frame or picture in its entirety.
The feature does come with some caveats. You can’t leave the feature on while scrolling; you can only turn it on for an individual video. Once you scroll, TikTok will be back to its usual format. In addition, you won’t be able to screen record while in clear mode, since this creates the risk of content being stolen.
How to use clear mode
The clear mode feature has been integrated into the app in such a way that it is relatively easy to use. Start by holding your finger down on the screen until a menu appears. This menu will have the options to save the video, activate clear mode or report the video. Simply tap clear mode and the side bar will disappear, giving you a full look at the video. Hitting the rectangle button in the bottom right of the screen will allow you to exit clear mode. If you are having trouble finding this feature, make sure your app is updated to the latest version.
So go ahead and give clear mode a try and see what you think. For some, it’s a long awaited feature that they always wished was there. Others are fine scrolling the app just as they were, and ignoring the feature.
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