TikTok getting a free upgrade that will make it more useful to all ages

Trends in technology come and go, but one which has been hard to miss is TikTok. The video-sharing platform has ascended to household name status, enjoying a gargantuan userbase and spawning many lookalike apps.

It's a common sight on many phones, with users extending across different demographics. Now, the team behind the app is giving some users the option of uploading even longer videos.

According to Business Insider, the change was first spotted and confirmed on Thursday. It's currently unclear which of the regions or demographics the new feature is available in, or when – or even if – that will roll out further.

It's certainly an interesting prospect, though. The current model allows users to upload videos up to ten minutes long, with a 15 minute limit for certain creators.

Boosting that up to 60 minutes – as is the new limit on offer – can be seen as a clear attempt to rival other platforms like YouTube. That site is renowned for its longer video length, with creators creating more episodic content that the quicker TikTok format.

It will certainly be interesting to see how these changes affect the kind of content posted. We've seen other changes in recent months, with a prioritisation of horizontal videos which also looks more like YouTube.

It's not just YouTube which could be affected by this. The best streaming services on the market may also see a knock-on effect, as users are able to satisfy their craving for entertainment via TikTok.

Of course, it might not have too great an effect on users in the USA, as moves are being made to ban the app in the country. That's based on security concerns surrounding the app's parent company, ByteDance.

According to the BBC, legislation has been passed which would allow the US government to limit apps with ties to a range of companies. That includes China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.