Did you open the TikTok app on your phone, iPad or tablet just to discover that it’s sideways?
This can be very confusing, and may even lead to a worse experience.
So, you may be wondering – why is TikTok now displaying sideways, and is there any way to fix it?
In this article, we’ll cover everything that you need to know!
Why Is My TikTok Sideways On My iPad Or Android Tablet?
If you are using TikTok on a tablet, I have some interesting news!
It turns out, TikTok has actually decided to roll out landscape mode for tablets, and what you’re now seeing on your screen should be normal.
Unless you have buttons that are out of place or videos aren’t rendering correctly, it’s likely that is simply how TikTok looks now.
However, if you don’t like it, you should be able to revert it back into portrait mode by physically rotating your iPad or tablet.
Additionally, most tablets have some sort of portrait locking feature, preventing the screen from rotating even if it would normally switch to landscape mode.
This will allow you to browse TikTok just like you would on your phone, without having to worry about TikTok shifting into landscape mode by accident.
If you are using a phone however or you believe that TikTok is currently experiencing a glitch, we will share some tips later on that can help solve this.
Why Is My TikTok Horizontal On My Mobile Phone?
If you are experiencing TikTok sideways and you’re browsing using a mobile phone, this is likely due to a technical glitch.
Although this is very rare, it has been known to happen from time to time and it can be quite frustrating! Because it interrupts the browsing experience, you’ll want to get it solved as quickly as possible.
Thankfully, there are a few things you can try.
The first is to simply try force closing the app. Don’t just go back to your phone’s home screen – pull up your list of apps, and swipe it away to close it completely.
Then, try reopening TikTok to see if the problem has been fixed.
If TikTok is still horizontal, I recommend that you uninstall the app, and redownload it.
99% of the time, this will solve any display-related issues.
Just make sure to back up your drafts beforehand, because they will be deleted if you delete the TikTok app from your phone.
Can You Use Landscape Mode On TikTok On Your Phone?
Let’s say that you actually want TikTok to use landscape mode, even on your iPhone or Android phone. Is there any way to make this possible?
Unfortunately, there really isn’t any way to do this at the moment – and it’s unlikely TikTok will introduce landscape mode for mobile phones any time soon.
The reason for this is simple – despite the fact that phones are getting larger and larger, there is still not enough space to display both the video, and the user interface elements (like the navigation bar, or the buttons overlaid on top of the videos.)
The videos would have to be too small to even really see, and TikTok tries to show all videos across the entire screen in your feed.
Buttons would be too small to tap on accurately, or too close together – which would cause your finger to press on multiple buttons (or the wrong one) by accident.
Quite simply, it won’t work.
Most people hold their phones in portrait mode anyway when browsing social media, so this decision makes sense.
Of course, if you have a special reason you’d like to view TikTok in landscape mode, I’d love to hear it in the comments!
Does TikTok Support Landscape Videos?
We now know that TikTok does not support landscape mode on most devices. But what happens if you upload a standard widescreen or landscape video?
Although these are not possible to film within the TikTok app itself, TikTok does allow you to upload landscape videos, that are longer sideways than they are vertically.
When these videos appear on a viewer’s device or are played on a user’s For You page, TikTok will automatically block out the rest of the screen with black bars, similar to what would happen on a wide screen movie.
This will keep the same aspect ratio without the video getting stretched or distorted.
Even if you can’t find a landscape video to use as an example, the same exact thing will happen with duets. Rather than filling the entire screen, duets will appear as two vertical videos next to each other, side-by-side.
So, if you’re filming your footage in landscape mode or using an actual camera, you do not need to crop it to upload it to TikTok! 16:9 footage is supported natively without any further edits needing to be made.
Conclusion
Although it’s quite unusual if you’re used to browsing TikTok on a mobile phone, the TikTok app is actually supposed to be horizontal on the iPad.
At first, seeing TikTok sideways can be a bit unusual. However, most people get used to it rather quickly.
If your TikTok is appearing sideways on another device however, it’s likely due to some sort of technical or rendering glitch. In most cases, restarting the app (and ensuring its up-to-date) is enough to solve the problem.
I hope that you’ve found this article to be helpful. If you have any other questions about TikTok, please ask them using the comment form below.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister