TikTok users could pay to not see a flood of ads in the future.
Android Authority have screenshots of TikTok that asks users to select between staying on the free version of the app with ads or upgrading to an ad-free experience. According to the screenshot, some users have the option to pay $4.99 per month to not see ads.
TikTok did not immediately respond to The edgeRequest for more details or questions about the availability of the paid version.
The test of an ad-free tier comes as TikTok is aggressively working to diversify where its money comes from. TikTok Shop, the platform’s in-app marketplace, has moved to the main navigation bar for some users, and the company has been promoting ads and coupons, hoping to entice them to make a purchase. The platform has already had difficulties moderating its Store offers: a review by Well-informed person Users discovered they could purchase items prohibited by TikTok’s own rules, including homemade foods, sex toys and vitamins.
Other platforms have expanded ad-free tiers as a way to make money. Elon Musk has said in the past that he wants to offer a “higher-priced” subscription tier that doesn’t show ads on Twitter, now called X. That hasn’t happened yet, but the company says X Premium subscribers get “about 50 percent fewer ads” on their timelines. Reports indicate that Meta may offer an ad-free version on Facebook and Instagram in the EU in response to regulators’ concerns about data privacy.
