Saving Videos To iPhones Without The TikTok Watermark

TikTok is designed to let users easily share their favorite videos with followers and friends across the social media platform.

That’s great — but what if you want to show a TikTok post to someone who isn’t on the app or doesn’t use social media at all? What if you just want to keep it on your phone to watch whenever you need inspiration or help (if it’s a tutorial) or a good laugh (if it’s a typically-funny TikTok video)?

No problem. You’re able to save most TikTok content to your device, unless the creator has prohibited downloads. There’s just one problem: that pesky TikTok watermark, which is automatically added to saved content and shows where it came from.

The watermark usually doesn’t detract from your enjoyment or use of the video (unless it’s obscuring a critical element of the production). It’s extremely annoying, though.

Can you download a clean version of the video? Read on.

How to Save a TikTok Video Without the Watermark

We have two key notes that must be mentioned before we go further.

First, while this article centers on iPhone downloads, the same processes can be used on Android phones and devices (with one exception that we’ll explain later).

Second, and most importantly, the creator of a TikTok video still owns the content, even if you download it to your phone. The watermark on the post identifies both TikTok and the creator, so removing it and then uploading the vid to another platform to claim it as your own is a copyright violation — and it’s illegal. Only use these methods for videos you’re keeping on your device.

Option 1: Use a Third-Party App or Online Tool

While you’re on the app, there’s no way to download a TikTok video without the watermark (unless you’re the content creator and you save it while in the middle of producing the video). To remove the watermark from someone else’s content, you need a separate tool. There are several types to choose from.

• Online Downloaders: A few websites, like SSSTikTok, SnapTik, and TikMateare trustworthy and let you directly download a TikTok video without its watermark. You just paste the video’s URL (click on the “Share” icon and choose “Copy link” from the popup) into the appropriate field on the website. The “clean” video is saved directly to your phone.
• Mobile Apps: If you plan on saving videos regularly, a third-party app like SaveTT or the one available from SnapTik (mentioned above) lets you perform the no-watermark download function without having to bother with a web browser.
• Use Live Photo (only on iPhone): There’s a shortcut method for downloading videos without a TikTok username watermark, but it isn’t available to Android users. When you’re watching the content to be saved, tap “Share” and then “Live Photo.” Open the iPhone’s built-in “Photo” app and go to Media Types > Live Photos, select the video, click “Share,” and then “Save as Video.”

That last method doesn’t remove the TikTok watermark, only the creator’s. You’ll need to use one of the first two methods to remove all watermarks.

Option 2: Do a Screen Recording

The product you’ll save by using this alternative won’t be “clean,” but at least it won’t have watermarks.

You can use the screen recording function built into your iPhone (or Android) to immediately capture the video and save it on your device. Since you don’t see watermarks when watching videos on your feed, there won’t be watermarks on the recorded version.

However, what will still be there are all of the menus, icons, hashtags, and other “stuff” you see while watching content on TikTok. You’re going to need a third-party editing app to crop the picture to remove all of that extraneous material (and to trim the beginning and end of the recording) to wind up with a completely clean version of the vid.

We’ll close by repeating the warning we mentioned earlier. If you remove watermarks from a TikTok video and then reupload it somewhere else, you’re violating copyright law. The cops probably won’t show up at your door — but you could theoretically be sued. And just remember: you wouldn’t want anyone else stealing your content and pretending that they created it, either.