TikTok Adds Voice Comments, Polls and Photo Carousels to Comment Sections

Voice comments let users tap the microphone icon in the comment box and record an audio message of up to one minute. Once posted, anyone can tap to listen. The feature will be available globally over the next month to users 18 and older, TikTok said. A TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch that voice comments are subject to the same Community Guidelines as other content, and the company uses both human and automated detection, including speech-to-text transcription, to remove violating content.

“Sound and music have shaped TikTok from the very beginning, turning songs into trends and audio clips into jokes shared across the app,” TikTok wrote in a blog post. “Now, we’re bringing that same energy to the comment section with Voice Comments, a new way to post and listen to audio messages directly under any video.”

Creators can now add a poll when commenting on their own videos, a feature previously available to some users that is now rolling out globally. Polls let creators offer up to five options, set a timeframe for voting and follow the results directly in the comment section. TikTok suggested uses such as voting on the next video idea, picking an outfit or deciding what to cook. Engadget noted the platform had experimented with polls through stickers and during live broadcasts before this straightforward rollout.

Photo comments are also being expanded. Users can now upload Live Photos, which capture a brief burst of motion and sound before and after the shutter, and the capability is immediately available globally. Photo carousel comments, allowing up to nine photos in a single comment, will roll out globally over the next month; previously users could only post one photo at a time.

According to Engadget, the new comment tools follow TikTok's recent additions of in-app travel booking and a local feed based on a user's location.