Viewing other people's likes can be a useful way to find good content on TikTok, but it’s not always possible due to the ability for users to limit who sees the videos they like. Besides providing others with a way to find content, the like system on TikTok is an integral part of how the platform works so successfully. Therefore, while a user can't always see the likes of others, they still exist.
Videos have a tendency to go viral on TikTok and part of the reason for this is the app’s algorithm. TikTok is very good at serving users with content that it thinks they will like, helping each video to be put in front of users that are even more likely to engage with the content. One of the factors that TikTok uses to determine how suitable a video will be is the like system. Essentially, the more videos that are liked on TikTok, the better TikTok gets at knowing what the user wants to see in the future.
Due to this, the like system is an important part of the TikTok experience. However, in 2019, TikTok made some changes to the way likes work. Specifically, TikTok introduced an option for users to hide their likes from others on the platform. This ability to make likes private allows TikTok to continue seeing them so it knows what the user wants to see, but is almost certainly the reason why other users are unable to see liked videos. Furthermore, there’s not much those other users can do, as once likes are hidden by an account, they remain hidden.
How To Hide Likes On TikTok
For any user that does want to hide their likes from others, the process is relatively simple with the option available in the user’s account profile. Simply tap on the Me con to head to the profile page and then on the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner. Following which, tap on Privacy and Settings and then on "Who Can See the Videos I've Liked." There will be two options available and both are self-explanatory. Tapping on the “All” option will make likes viewable to everyone while selecting “Me” will stop other accounts from being able to see them.
Although this change took place in 2019, TikTok has been making many changes to its platform recently to improve the community experience for both users and creators. Some of the more recent changes have included graphic warnings on videos before they are shown and a new text-to-speech feature that improves accessibility. While some may find it frustrating that they cannot see videos that their friends on TikTok have liked, the decision to stop those likes being viewed is ultimately made by each TikTok user.
Source: TikTok