TikTok has taken the world’s attention in a big way, and for younger audiences, the app has almost become a go-to for all information, including for searches. Now, TikTok is testing the integration of Google search results into their own in-app searches in “some markets.”
Earlier this week app researcher Radu Oncescu posted on Twitter/X a screenshot showing TikTok linking out to Google Search for more results when searching for a topic. Recently, the app was also spotted integrating Wikipedia snippets into search.
The link out to Google appears as a card in between videos on TikTok, and when you tap on the card, a pop-up says that TikTok “does not endorse or take responsibility for search results from Google” as Oncescu shows in another post.
Google’s SVP Prabhakar Raghavan, who oversees the company’s search product, acknowledged the rise of TikTok as a search competitor last year.
In our studies, something like almost 40 percent of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search. They go to TikTok or Instagram.
Prabhakar Raghavan, Google SVP
TikTok search is typically just used for finding videos on specific topics, but it’s clear that the company wants it to be more useful for users. The Verge confirmed last month that TikTok was testing integrating widgets from Wikipedia into search results.
Speaking to Insider, TikTok confirmed that it was testing integration with Google Search in “some markets,” but there’s no word on whether or not this is being done in some monetary deal with Google.
The search giant is currently under scrutiny in many markets for its dominance in search, particularly surrounding deals that keep Google Search as the default search engine on devices and services.
1 Comment
Pingback: TikTok is overhauling how it pays creators of viral filters and effects - Innovation Village | Technology, Product Reviews, Business