Does TikTok Let You Make Group Chats? How Do You Do It?

TikTok’s groundbreaking For You pages (FYP), which supply TikTok users with a never-ending stream of videos tailored to their interests, have led many people to think of the app as a “one-way” social media platform. Even if you’re not scrolling through TikTok posts, you’re watching TikTok Live shows or browsing in TikTok shops.

What’s often underestimated is the social app’s ability to facilitate communication between groups of friends. In other words, it’s simple to create group chats centered around topics of common interest or even focused on a specific TikTok video.

Let’s learn more.

How to Start a Group Chat on TikTok

There are two methods you can use to open a group chat on the app, and users generally choose between the two depending on their reason for starting the conversation.

Starting an Ordinary Group Chat

If you have a scheduled online meeting with friends or family members, or just feel like chatting with them on a whim, you open the chat from your TikTok Inbox.

1. Tap the “Inbox” icon in the bottom menu of your home screen.
2. Click the “Chat” icon (two people with a “+” sign) at the top left of your inbox.
3. Choose the friends you want to invite to the chat, and hit “Start group chat.” (Alternatively, you can tap on a previous chat in your Messages list, click the three-dot “More options” icon at the top, tap “Create group chat,” and choose more people to add.)

A chat can accommodate as many as 32 users, but you can only invite friends (mutual TikTok followers) to join. They’ll receive an invitation and only have to click “Join group” to participate.

Starting a Group Chat from a TikTok Post

If you’ve found a fabulous TikTok video that you want to share and discuss with friends, you can open a chat directly from the post itself.

1. On the TikTok post you want to share, click the “Share” icon (a sweeping right arrow) on the right-hand menu.
2. The “Send to” menu will open. Your friends will be listed on the top menu (scroll right and click “More” if you don’t see them all); tap on the ones you want to invite.
3. Hit the circle next to the “Create group chat with friends” button toward the bottom of the screen, enter any message you’d like into the text box, and tap “Send to group.” They’ll get an Inbox notification that lets them join the chat.

Once you’re aware of this lesser-known TikTok function, you’ll find that the app is more fun to use than you ever realized. And since you can easily send videos, photos, and other files in TikTok chats, you may quickly abandon those phone group chats you’ve depended on in the past.