TikTok is constantly growing and evolving.
While it started out primarily as a lip-syncing app for music, it’s now one of the world’s most popular social networks ever, with over 1 billion users.
And with the expansion of TikTok has come a lot of new features – such as livestreaming, stories, and a useful DM system for chatting with friends.
But does TikTok allow you to place calls to other users, and if so, how is it done?
In this article, we’ll cover everything that you need to know!
Can You Call Someone On TikTok?
So, does TikTok currently allow you to call other people?
Unfortunately, the answer at this time is no. Unlike many other social networks, there is no way to place calls directly to another person, directly within the app.
Although there are workarounds that let you contact other users that you’re connected with on TikTok, this doesn’t work the same way that it does on other social networks. So, the experience is less than ideal.
Still, being aware of these workarounds may help, and could even be enough for you depending on your needs!
How To Call Someone On TikTok
As just mentioned, TikTok does not have a call button within the app itself. Of course, it’s still relatively easy to get on a call with someone despite this.
Let’s look at the two methods you can use to do a voice or video call with another TikTok user.
1. Request To Join Their TikTok LIVE
The first option is to join a TikTok LIVE video with them.
One neat feature about TikTok’s livestreaming platform is that the streamer can invite other people to join the live with them – not just as a viewer, but as an actual streamer as well.
When two people go live together, the viewer’s screen will split to show both of them.
Then, the two people streaming can talk to each other just like they would on a normal video call.
In fact, TikTok lives aren’t just limited to two people either – multiple creators are able to join the stream as well. This effectively allows you to make group calls on TikTok, even though the functionality isn’t built into the direct messaging system itself.
There are a few caveats, however.
First of all, since it is a livestream this means that the call will be viewable by others. If your account is private, this will just be limited to your followers. If it’s not however, anybody on TikTok will be able to watch the stream.
This makes it useful for calls that are meant to be private.
Therefore, if your account doesn’t hit the requirements, you won’t be able to join the stream at all – even if all you want to do is have a private call between friends.
2. Follow Them To Instagram, And Place The Call There
The second way to place a call with another TikTok user is to utilize a nifty little feature that TikTok allows – adding your Instagram link on your TikTok profile.
This can be done by following these steps:
- Open the TikTok app and visit your profile.
- Underneath your profile picture, tap on ‘Edit profile.’
- Under the ‘Social’ section, tap on ‘Instagram’ and add your Instagram username.
This will add an Instagram button to your profile, that anybody can click on. Once they click on it, it will open the Instagram app and load your page.
From there, it is simple for them to send you a DM on Instagram, where an audio or a video call can be placed.
Because TikTok DMs don’t have a call button like Instagram does, Instagram is often considered a superior place to chat one-on-one.
And since TikTok allows you to embed a link directly on your TikTok profile, this is a great way to get in touch with and call other TikTok users.
Conclusion
Currently, there is no function built into TikTok that will allow you to place calls directly within the app.
However, TikTok allows people to place links to their Instagram directly on their profile. By reaching out to people through Instagram instead, you’ll be able to place both audio and video calls without any troubles whatsoever.
On TikTok itself, a group livestream is the closest you can get to a real call.
I hope that you’ve found this article to be helpful. If you have any other questions about placing calls on TikTok, please ask them using the comment form below.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister