TikTok just made the comment section more personal by letting users speak instead of typing.
The platform is rolling out TikTok voice comments, a new feature that lets users record audio messages and post them directly underneath videos. TikTok announced the update on Thursday, September 3, and said the feature will roll out globally over the next month for accounts belonging to users aged 18 and older.
That means the rollout is already underway, but not everyone will necessarily see the feature at the same time.
Once available, users can tap a microphone icon inside the comment box and record a message up to 60 seconds long. Other users can then tap the voice comment to listen.
So yes, people can now pour their hearts out in the comments without typing a full paragraph first.
TikTok’s comment sections have long been part of the entertainment. According to the company, more than 1.7 billion comments are shared on the platform each day. With Voice Comments entering the mix, those conversations could start sounding very different.
“Sound and music have shaped TikTok from the very beginning, turning songs into trends and audio clips into jokes shared across the app,” TikTok said in its announcement.
The new feature takes that relationship with audio and pushes it directly into the comments.
Instead of writing “girl, leave him,” someone can now say it with the tone they intended. A storytime can become a 60-second voice note. A dramatic reaction can include the sigh, pause, laugh or disbelief that text sometimes cannot capture.
And for users who already treat the comment section like group therapy, the microphone might make things even more personal.
The feature does come with an age restriction. TikTok says Voice Comments are being made available to accounts belonging to people 18 and older. The company also says the global rollout will happen over the course of the month, meaning some users may get access before others.
Voice Comments are not the only change coming to TikTok’s comment section.
The platform is also rolling out Comment Polls, which allow creators to ask followers questions directly underneath their own videos. Creators can offer up to five answer choices and select how long voting remains open. TikTok says creators will also be able to track results as votes come in.
That could make comment sections even more interactive, especially under videos involving debates, fashion choices, dating situations, celebrity moments, or anything else TikTok users already love weighing in on.
TikTok is also expanding photo comments.
With Photo Carousel Comments, users can share up to nine photos inside a single comment. TikTok said the feature was designed to let people “share a full moment instead of just one frame.”
Photo Carousel Comments are also expected to roll out globally over the next month.
Meanwhile, Live Photo Comments are already available globally. That feature allows users to upload Live Photos directly from their camera rolls, adding a brief moment of motion to photo responses.
Taken together, TikTok’s latest updates are making its comment section look less like a traditional reply box and more like another content space inside the app.
People can type, vote, share multiple photos, upload Live Photos and, as Voice Comments reach more accounts, leave audio messages underneath videos.
Still, Voice Comments may be the update that changes the experience the most.
Text gives people a chance to type, reread, and maybe reconsider what they are about to say. A microphone can make reactions feel more immediate and a lot more revealing.
For creators, it could mean hearing directly from followers instead of only reading their responses. For everyone else, it means tone is officially entering the group chat.
The exhausted sigh before a relationship opinion can now be heard. The laugh before somebody explains why a video reminded them of an ex can be preserved. And the person who needs “just one minute” to explain the entire situation now literally has one.
TikTok has already built a culture where comment sections regularly become part of the main event. With more than 1.7 billion comments flowing through the platform each day, adding voice gives users another way to keep those conversations going.
As the rollout continues throughout September, more users should begin seeing the microphone option appear in their comment boxes.
At that point, scrolling through TikTok comments may require more than reading.
You might need headphones.
