The rise in the usage of TikTok has also increased the privacy-related issues on the platform. This has led TikTok to introduce and add more privacy settings to give users control over who can watch their content and interact with them. You may often see the friends only label on TikTok profiles and videos. So you may ask what is friends only videos and who can see the friends only videos on TikTok.
The friends only videos can only be watched by users who are friends with them. Friends are those who have followed you and you also have followed them back. So if you want to watch the friends only video, you need to be friends with the creator of the video on TikTok.
If you want to understand more about the privacy settings and what ‘Friends Only’ is on TikTok, please go through this article in detail. This article will explain what do friends only mean in TikTok and how you can turn off and turn on this feature. It also details who can see the friends only videos on TikTok.
What Do Friends Only Mean In TikTok?
If you are browsing through TikTok and get stumbled upon a profile of a user which states “Friends Only”, then you may have asked yourself what does it mean and why you cannot view any of their videos. Well, as it states, the ‘Friends Only’ means that the videos of the profile can be watched by only the friends of the user.
If you are not the friend of the user, you do not have permission to watch the videos and the message ‘Friends only’ is displayed for you. And if you are wondering if there is any way you can watch their video? The answer will be a straight ‘No’. Unless you become friends with the user, you will not be able to watch the videos that are posted by the user.
This is a feature that is increasingly demanded by the sheer number of privacy leaks and identity & content theft. TikTok and many other social media platforms have introduced this feature to tackle the issues faced by the users.
This feature can be activated by changing the status of your account from public to private. You will find this setting on the privacy page of your TikTok. In case you want to know the steps and process of changing your public profile to private, refer to the ‘Turn On/Off Friends Only In TikTok’ section of this article.
See “Friends Only” Videos On TikTok
To be able to see the friends only videos on TikTok, you first need to become friends on TikTok with the user. So, how do you become friends with the user on TikTok?
Well, you will not find any button to add them as a friend on TikTok but you will see someone already being friends with you if you search on your profile. So, how does this work? The simple way to become friends with someone on TikTok is when you both follow each other on the platform.
So to see friends only videos on TikTok, you both need to follow each other on the platform. You can follow the user and if they follow you back, you automatically became friends. Even if they do not follow you back, you can reach to them through other means and ask them to follow you back.
If you both somehow became friends on TikTok, then you will instantly be able to watch videos of the user from your account. You can now access their profile and watch all the videos that they have allowed to be watched by their friends. However, there may still be some videos that they have made private and can only be watched by themselves.
Turn On/Off Friends Only In TikTok
In case you are the one whose account is showing ‘Friends Only’ and you want to remove the label to let others watch your videos, there is a simple step to follow to remove the label. If you want to make yourself private and not let others watch your videos, the same step can be used.
So, how do you turn on/off friends only in TikTok? The following steps will guide you through activating or deactivating the ‘friends only’ label.
Step 1: Open TikTok App
Open the TikTok app on your device. Log in to your account if you haven’t already.
Step 2: Go To Profile Section
Once you are on the TikTok home screen, you will see the profile button on the bottom-right part of the screen. Click on the button and go to the profile section.
Step 3: Click The Hamburger Icon
On the profile screen, you will see a hamburger icon on the top-right part of the screen. Click the button and it will give you more options.
Step 4: Go To Settings And Privacy
Click the ‘Settings and privacy’ button and go to the settings and privacy page. It will list all the settings related to your account and its privacy.
Step 5: Click On Privacy
On the list, you will find the privacy button which holds all the privacy settings for your account. Click the button and it will direct you to the privacy screen.
Step 6: Toggle The ‘Private Account’ Button
On the privacy screen, you will see the option ‘Private Account’ with a toggle button on the right side. You can toggle the button to turn on/off the account as private or public.
If your account is private, it will stop users who are not your friends to watch your videos. It will also limit your reach and ability to grow your account on the platform. So you need to think through it before deciding on changing the status of your account.
TikTok Friends vs Followers
With all the steps involved to see the friends only videos on TikTok, you may ask what is the actual difference between friends and followers on TikTok. Tiktok defines followers as those users who have followed you and you haven’t followed them back. Friends are those accounts or users who have followed you and you also have followed them back.
If you set up your account as private then those who are only your followers may not be able to watch your videos. While the users who are your friends will be able to watch your videos. This may result in your followers unfollowing you as they wouldn’t be able to watch your videos anymore.
Check Friend List In TikTok
Only the friends of a user can see the friends only videos on tiktok. If you have activated the private account then you may want to know who are your friends and who can view your videos. In case you do not want a certain person to see the videos, simply unfollow them and they will be changed to your followers and hence cannot see your videos.
To know how you can find the friends list on TikTok and how you can remove someone as a friend, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open The TikTok App
Open your TikTok app on your device, log into your account if you haven’t.
Step 2: Go To The Profile Section
Once on the TikTok home screen, click the profile option on the bottom-right corner of the screen. It will open the profile section of TikTok. Here, you will find all your videos and settings related to your profile
Step 3: Click On Followers
On the profile screen, click the followers’ button below your profile picture. Here, all the users labelled as friends are your friends and those with the ‘follow back’ button are just your followers.
If you want to remove any user from your friends’ list, continue the steps below.
Step 4: Click The Username And Open The Profile
If you wish to unfriend someone, click the username of the user and open their profile.
Step 5: Click Unfollow
Here, click the unfollow button below their profile picture. It will instantly convert them from friends to just followers.
Once you unfollowed them, they will become your followers and not friends. Hence, from now on they will not be able to watch your videos. If you again wish to make them friends, you can just follow them back and they will be your friends again.
Related Search : How To Turn Off ‘Followers Only’ In Tiktok
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
These are some of the frequently asked questions on TikTok related to the topic of ‘Who can see the friends only videos on TikTok?’
Why Can’t I See My Friends Videos On TikTok?
If you are unable to see your friends’ videos on TikTok, then your friend must have made their videos private. Furthermore, users can make their videos and profile private to hide all their content from others to see. TikTok also allows setting the privacy to friends only from the privacy page on settings.
How Do I See My Friends Post On TikTok?
To see your friends’ posts on TikTok, you can visit their profile. It will display all the videos that are available to see for friends. And If you are unable to see any videos, then your friends must have made the videos private and only visible to them.
How Can I See My Friends TikTok Comments?
TikTok does not share data of comments made besides the user and the creator of the video where the comment is made. If you want to see your friend’s comment, you need to search through the video and find the comment yourself.
What Does Visible To Followers Mean On TikTok?
Visible to followers on TikTok means only those who follow the user can view the videos. If you are not a follower, you may not be able to see the video. To see the video, you can either follow them or be friends with them.
How Do You Find Someone’s TikTok?
If you have the username then you can search their id on the search bar of TikTok. You will find their profile there. Likewise, if you have their contact number then you can use the find friends feature of TikTok to find their username and follow them.
Conclusion
Therefore, only the friends of the user can see the friends only videos on TikTok. If you are not friends with the user, you would not be able to see those videos. This article explains in detail what do friends only mean in TikTok and how you can turn friends only on/off on TikTok.
The article also provides steps on how you can check your friend list on TikTok and also how to unfriend them. Frequently asked questions are listed to help you understand more about the topic and TikTok privacy settings.
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Also Read: How To Hide Following List On Tiktok