It hasn't even been a month for the reason that U.S. arm of TikTok got here under recent ownership, and already American customers are getting an strange characteristic. In a surprise transfer, the app this present day introduced a brand recent “Local Feed” explicit to U.S. customers, ostensibly aimed toward helping American citizens search relate from their instantaneous situation. Technically, or no longer it's equivalent to the “Nearby Feed” that was once introduced in the U.K. and Europe in December, though this explicit iteration may per chance also fluctuate in the minor little print, adore the name. Per chance extra importantly, the corporate wants entry to your GPS files to energy the Local Feed, nevertheless or no longer it's opt-in, and also that you just may smooth utilize a model of the native feed without sharing it.
TikTok's recent Local Feed
TikTok announced its Local Feed this present day, and it has already popped up in my app without the need for an update or for me to opt into seeing it. It be located to the left of the Following feed, and tapping on it brings you to a scrollable record of posts reasonably than the conventional “swipe-to-navigate” autoplaying movies. TikTok says that the feed is “designed to attend you review and connect with relate, businesses, and companies wherever you are,” and yeah, what I saw was once mostly restaurant recommendations for Fresh York City.
It be price noting that I was once already infrequently getting these recommendations about my For You feed, and when I am occurring dawdle, these posts typically change to match wherever I'm staying. So the app's algorithm did already take situation into myth, as a minimal to a level. Nonetheless the Local Feed lets you prefer when to search these posts, as an quite quite a lot of of watching for the For You feed to stamp them to you at its discretion. It furthermore, supposedly, can develop them even extra explicit to your situation, which I could discover into at this time.
(Advise that whereas it does firstly expose as a scrollable record, hopping staunch into a video will indicate that you just may swipe by way of the feed as traditional.)
How to search the Local Feed on your TikTok myth
The Local Feed confirmed up for me automatically when I opened my app this present day, and TikTok confirmed to me on a telephone call that you just attain no longer dangle to opt in to seeing it. Alternatively, there are some restrictions to what will get posted to it. For occasion, accounts belonging to customers under the age of 18 may per chance also no longer dangle their relate featured in the Local Feed, and neither will non-public accounts or accounts the set post privateness is position to Pals or Handiest You.
TikTok's Local Feed has two methods of radiant your situation
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
What's rather relating to about TikTok's Local Feed is a disclaimer in opposition to the bottom of the post asserting it, noting that TikTok will utilize your GPS situation to “attend energy the Local Feed.” Alternatively, in a telephone call, the corporate clarified to me that this is no longer so particular lower. In fact, there are two methods for TikTok's Local Feed to clutch the set you are, “impolite situation files collection” and “staunch GPS files collection.”
Rude files collection is how the app labored beforehand, and it uses files adore your IP tackle, which network you'll want to also very successfully be connecting from, and a few of your posting negate (equivalent to how you'll want to also dangle got been tagged) to typically decide out the set you are. This would no longer utilize your GPS, and is extra equivalent to, tell, Netflix radiant that that you just'll want to also very successfully be gazing from the U.S. primarily primarily based on your wifi network. This functionality can't be disabled, however TikTok confirmed to me that it tends to handiest narrow your situation down to a county this manner, and every the For You feed and the Local Feed can then utilize that to search out files that's linked to you. In fact, here is how the app has operated for years, and TikTok confirmed to me that “nothing has changed with appreciate to approximate situation.”
What's recent is the flexibility to fragment your staunch GPS files with TikTok, which is no longer compulsory for the Local Feed to work, however will be feeble to attend the Local Feed bring even extra explicit relate. For occasion, it'll also stamp you relate for Red Hook or Astoria (explicit neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens) reasonably than correct relate linked to all of Brooklyn or Queens.. In step with a TikTok attend online page, that you just may score the toggle to allow this in the TikTok app under Settings and privateness > Privacy, though or no longer it's smooth rolling out to some customers, and I fabricate no longer dangle it but.
In step with the TikTok consultant I spoke with, there was once firstly some confusion among customers, because the Local Feed gave the influence to be exhibiting them relate explicit to their situation even whereas the app didn't seem like tracking their GPS situation of their telephones' settings (for iPhone, here is under Settings > Privacy & Safety > Situation Products and companies). Alternatively, I was once told this was once drawn from existing impolite situation files (described above), and if you happen to attain no longer dangle the likelihood to allow Situation Products and companies in the TikTok app otherwise you attain no longer search the TikTok app located on the Situation Products and companies online page to your machine settings, then you definately can leisure assured that TikTok can't entry your GPS files.
That ought to attain as a reduction to somebody inflamed about TikTok's recent privateness protection, which firstly gave the influence to present the corporate permission to bag your “staunch situation” as long as you had situation companies enabled on your telephone, however now reads that situation companies should smooth be enabled for the TikTok app specifically for that to be the case.
How the Local Feed uses your GPS files
In other words, the Local Feed would no longer notice your GPS files by default, however that would no longer indicate you'll want to also no longer search anything else if you happen to fabricate no longer opt in to sharing your GPS files—it'l. a. an quite quite a lot of utilize the same route situation files the app has had entry to for years to rep that feed. While you happen to'd adore extra staunch relate and are OK with the app tracking your GPS files, then, you just dangle to support for TikTok Situation Products and companies to be rolled out to you and then allow it in the TikTok app under Settings > Safety and privateness > Situation Products and companies.
While you happen to fabricate no longer, the corporate “would no longer dangle entry to your staunch situation,” a fact notorious in a later update to the initial post asserting the Local Feed. Within the intervening time, if you happen to fabricate no longer search the Situation Products and companies toggle on that online page in any appreciate, then primarily primarily based on the update, “you fabricate no longer dangle entry to the characteristic” but and are attempting to support for it to roll out to you. No matter the case, till you allow that environment, the Local Feed will utilize approximate files as an quite quite a lot of.
While you happen to attain allow Situation Products and companies for TikTok, the corporate says it'll handiest notice your situation whereas you'll want to also very successfully be the usage of the app, and that after it does, you'll want to search an on-camouflage camouflage indicator whereas your situation is being accessed. Furthermore, accounts for customers under the age of 18 is no longer going to be in a situation to flip GPS sharing on, though it stays optionally accessible for all customers regardless, and is position to off by default.
Within the intervening time, if you happen to would adore to flip off approximate situation tracking, your handiest selection is to delete the app altogether—though that was once furthermore correct earlier than the Local Feed was once introduced.
Update 2/11/2026 at 4:22 PM: Added clarification from TikTok about how the Local Feed characteristic works, and when it does and would no longer entry your files.
