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TikTok is testing a Watch History feature for tracking down lost videos

Users won't have to use annoying hacks to find recently watched TikToks.

TikTok logo on a phone

TikTok is testing new features, including one that solves an annoying issue.

Photo: Solen Feyissa/Unsplash

It's a common problem: You watch a really good TikTok video on your For You page and then scroll past it without liking or sending it to someone. It's lost to the ether, never to be seen again. But it doesn't have to be that way.

TikTok is beta testing a feature called “Watch History,” which allows users to explore past videos, similar to how you might scroll through your internet history to find a website you viewed but forgot to bookmark. The test feature is available to some TikTok users now.

According to TechCrunch, the feature, first discovered by Twitter user Hammond Oh, is quietly rolling out to some TikTok users. Users will be able to view the new Watch History in the Content and Activity section of the app's settings. This is decidedly easier than previous workarounds like the one outlined in this video, which instructs users to head to their Discover page, enter an asterisk in the search bar, then tap the Watched Videos option from the search filters tab. After applying the change, TikTok users can see every video they've watched in the last week. It's not exactly intuitive, but the video has gained traction on the platform. TikTok users can also find lost videos by downloading all of their TikTok data as a .zip file, but that sounds... extreme.

Just because TikTok is testing a feature doesn't mean it will officially roll out, however. The company was testing several other helpful new features in January that have yet to appear. Leaks signaled that users would soon be able to use TikTok avatars, keyword filtering, group chats and a Clubhouse-like live audio feature by now. Because none of these capabilities have yet made their way to the app, it’s unclear whether Watch History will become a permanent feature, either. TikTok declined to comment.

Veronica Irwin

Veronica Irwin (@vronirwin) is a San Francisco-based reporter at Protocol covering fintech. Previously she was at the San Francisco Examiner, covering tech from a hyper-local angle. Before that, her byline was featured in SF Weekly, The Nation, Techworker, Ms. Magazine and The Frisc.

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