I just tried the new Apple Vision Pro TikTok app — here's the pros and cons

Opinion
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Immersive but some features are missing

Deadpool 3 trailer in Apple Vision Pro TikTok app
(Image credit: Future)

I just tried the new TikTok app on the Vision Pro and it's as good as I feared. And what I mean by that is that you can easily get lost watching videos just as you do on your iPhone. Except the experience is more immersive.

Yes, the video player is vertical but the floating window makes it feel like the videos are right in front of you. And it's delightfully easy to scroll to the next clip. You just swipe up while pinching your thumb and index finger together as you do in other Vision Pro apps.

Just as you'd expect, there's all the options here that you're used to, including the like, comment, favorite and share buttons. When you click on comments, for example, a right pane will appear next to the video feed, and you can easily collapse that when you want to focus on watching.

Apple Vision Pro TikTok app

(Image credit: Future)

I do wish you could grow the size of the video player window by dragging the bottom right corner, as you can with other Vision Pro apps. I also didn't see a way to fast forward through videos like you can with the phone app. 

It's worth noting that you can't post directly to TikTok from within the app, which is a shame since you can capture content using the top left button on the Vision Pro. I'm hoping this feature gets added.

Apple Vision Pro TikTok app

(Image credit: Future)

In addition, I'd like to see TikTok add support for spatial photos and videos so that other Vision Pro users can get true 3D visuals. In fact, if it were me, I would add a dedicated Spatial category for this in the left navigation bar. Right now there's just home, search and profile.

TikTok app for Vision Pro

(Image credit: Future)

Despite my wishlist items I think TikTok has done a pretty good job here with the execution. And they clearly beat Instagram and Snapchat to the punch. Overall, I could easily see myself spending hours in here, which could be a problem. 

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Mark Spoonauer
Mark Spoonauer

Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.