TikTok Is Officially Testing a Standalone Content Management App — Introducing ‘TikTok Studio’

Ahead of a January forced-sale deadline in the U.S., TikTok has unveiled ‘TikTok Studio,’ a content management platform that’s available as a standalone app.

The ByteDance-owned service today disclosed TikTok Studio, which is replacing in-app creator tools as well as the Creator Center. As described by TikTok, Studio encompasses creation, editing, uploading, and audience-data options, with specific components including a photo editor, auto-captioning, scheduled-post support, user-comment search capabilities, and more.

In terms of availability, Studio is already live via web browsers; the initially mentioned standalone app is releasing gradually amid testing. Currently, “users in select regions” can download a beta version via the Play Store, whereas an iOS counterpart is expected to roll out “over the coming weeks.” There are “variations of available tools” between the app and web counterparts, TikTok clarified.

Needless to say, Studio was designed with businesses and other professional creators front of mind. Particularly on the audience-analysis and monetization sides, the app drove home that the involved information will enable creators to “take a more strategic approach to their growth.”

Those comments don’t directly mention the January deadline ByteDance is facing to sell or shut down TikTok in the U.S., after President Biden signed the corresponding bill into law last month.

As many know, a layoff-minded TikTok is fighting the measure – which could have far-reaching effects in the music industry – in court. Regarding the strategy behind dropping a bolstered content- and audience-management tool for professionals despite the very real threat of a stateside shutdown, it’s worth remembering TikTok’s continued international popularity.

Furthermore, a majority of TikTok creators don’t believe a U.S. ban will actually come to fruition, according to Wired’s breakdown of Fohr survey findings. Per the source, 200 domestic creators with north of 10,000 TikTok followers apiece participated in the survey, with 62 percent expressing the belief that TikTok won’t “be banned by 2025.”

Given the forced-sale law’s quick-approaching deadline, the unprecedented situation – complete with the potential abrupt shutdown of an extremely popular app in the world’s largest economy – appears likely to resolve sooner rather than later.

And should TikTok eventually go dark in the States, it’s possible that especially high-profile creators will maintain a presence on the app by remotely managing their posts through a different country. In theory, the process could be made easier by TikTok Studio.

Bringing the focus back to the music space and the near term, TikTok’s business-as-usual strategy just recently delivered “Fan Spotlight.” Utilized by Interscope-signed Billie Eilish to promote her latest album, the feature allows artists to pin supporter clips to their music profiles.