TikTok is all about sharing and creating short-form video clips, but what if you don’t want everyone indiscriminately seeing your activity on the app? This guide details TikTok privacy settings you should adjust for a more discreet experience.
Good to know: learn how to create a Duet on TikTok to post a response to a video.
1. Disable Contact Syncing
TikTok encourages you to connect with people on the platform, making it easier to find your contacts and friends. I don’t like the idea of adding everyone in my contact list to social media apps, such as TikTok. For instance, I don’t think older relatives following me on the app is a good idea.
I’ve opted to disable contact syncing and add contacts manually. It’s on by default to help you find and be discovered by people you know. Follow the steps below to turn contact syncing off.
Open TikTok (Android | iOS), and press the Profile icon at the bottom.
On your profile page, tap the hamburger menu in the upper-right corner, and select Settings & privacy from the menu at the bottom.
Select Privacy -> Sync contacts and Facebook friends.
Turn off the Sync contacts toggle, press the Remove previously synced contacts option to clear any stored data. If you’ve linked your TikTok with Facebook, make sure the Sync Facebook friends option is also off
Back in the Privacy section, tap Suggest your account to others.
Make sure that the Contacts option is off, as well as the other two options on this page. This prevents your account from popping up as a suggestion to other TikTok users.
Tip: stumbled upon some unsavory videos on TikTok? Learn how to unfollow a user on TikTok and see only content you enjoy.
2. Hide Your Activity Status
Like most social media apps, TikTok also has an activity indicator. I prefer to turn this option off, to not feel pressured to respond immediately to messages or comments. If no one knows when I’m online on the app, I can take my time writing replies.
To make this change, go to Settings & Privacy -> Privacy in the TikTok app, and toggle off the Activity Status option in the Discoverability section.
3. Turn Off Profile & Post Views
When using TikTok, I want to be able to move freely and not think twice about visiting a profile. TikTok has a feature that lets people see who visited their profile and viewed their posts.
For anonymous browsing, I have opted to disable these options for my account. While I can’t see who visited my own profile or viewed my posts, it’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make so that others aren’t alerted when I’m on TikTok.
If you’d like to hide when you’re on TikTok, go to Settings & privacy -> Privacy. Turn off the toggles for Post views and Profile views.
4. Hide Your Likes and Follows
I prefer to keep my preferences (likes) hidden on TikTok. At the same time, I don’t want others to keep track of who I am following. Having access to this information could potentially generate tension with some of my followers, and I’d like to avoid this scenario. Fortunately, TikTok allows me to make my likes and follows private.
Go to Settings & privacy -> Privacy. Swipe down and tap on Following list, then go back and press Liked videos.
Select Only you from the menu so that others won’t know who you’re following on TikTok. They also won’t be able to see which videos you’ve liked.
FYI: learn how to block someone on TikTok and browse the app with peace of mind.
5. Limit Who Sends You DMs and Comments
If you’re not on TikTok to chat, you can make sure that your browsing sessions aren’t interrupted by DMs. I’ve opted for a less restrictive option, but you can also choose to have no one message you.
Go to Settings & privacy -> Privacy, and swipe down and tap Direct messages.
At the top, press on Allow direct messages from to switch to a different option. I’ve opted for Friends, allowing only followers who follow me back to message me. Alternatively, opt for No one and have complete peace of mind.
At the same time, you can also control who can leave comments on your posts. Go back to the Privacy page, and press Comments. Tap on Allow comments from, and change to Friends or No one.
6. Create Private Stories
TikTok lets you control the audience that will see your stories. I prefer sharing them with the followers who follow me back. (These are usually friends, family, and acquaintances that you know from a different connection.)
You can change these preferences for every story you post on TikTok from the story creation panel. But if you’re like me and want to share these moments with the same people, change the privacy settings for ALL stories moving forward.
Go to Settings & privacy -> Story. Select Friends or Only you.
7. Turn on Two-Factor Authentication
Like anyone else, I don’t want to wake up one day and find that my TikTok account has been hacked. To prevent this, I’ve enabled two-factor authentication (2FA). This adds an extra layer of security, in case my password becomes compromised (although I’ve taken precautions to choose a strong and unique password).
Open Settings & privacy -> Security & permissions -> 2-step verification.
Select two options for receiving your verification code. I’ve opted for an authenticator app and email. Press the Turn on button.
Once 2FA is active, you’ll need to input your password and a verification code each time you log in to your TikTok account. Note that each time you exit the app, you’ll be logged out.
Tip: learn how to make slideshows on TikTok.
8. Make Your Account Private
If you really want to shrink your TikTok presence to a minimum, make your account private. This is something I haven’t done, but it doesn’t mean that the option is not right for you. Before making your account private, note that if you’re looking to monetize your account, switching to Private is not a viable option.
Note: TikTok accounts for children younger than 16 are automatically marked as Private. For more information about how to make TikTok safer for kids, check out how to enable parental controls.
When you switch to a Private account on TikTok, you will need to manually approve (or reject) when new accounts want to follow you. You will have full control over who can view your videos, LIVE videos, bio, and likes.
Go to Settings & privacy -> Privacy, and toggle on the Private account option.
If you use other social media apps, learn how to tighten your privacy on Snapchat and Facebook.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
