carolinakid
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2021
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Ever wanted to take a peek at videos on Douyin, China's original version of TikTok? Now you can—if you use a computer's web browser.
A quick test of Douyin's website with a US IP address confirms that the site is viewable from the US. It displays videos in landscape orientation, unlike TikTok, which is locked into its signature portrait orientation on both web browsers and its mobile app. While Douyin prompts viewers to create an account, it's easy to avoid this and scroll through the main feed of content. Scanning the QR code on the page takes viewers to the app store, but it's not possible to install Douyin on a US iOS device.
The Google Play Store's Douyin listing is viewable from US web browsers. Douyin's website also loads on a US iOS device, but it doesn't allow users to watch videos like the web version. Instead, it prompts users to install the app. Apple's App Store still has it blocked, though, and won't show the app's store page. Instead, it displays the standard message: "This app is currently not available in your country or region."
Like TikTok, Douyin's web version has a personalized feed and a "following" feed. It also has a main home tab, a profile tab, and tabs that appear to be for live streams, gaming, informational, music, food, and entertainment content. Compared to TikTok, that's a lot more categories for users to choose from.
Some US lawmakers who want TikTok banned have criticized it for allegedly offering dangerous content to US users, claiming that Douyin users get more educational content. Without logging in, a brief test showed Douyin videos that appeared to present movies about plane heists and anime videos with characters in prison. Clips of zoo animals and women's faces were also encountered on the main home feed. This quick test didn't provide educational videos, but it did offer a lot of cutdowns of preexisting media.
A quick test of Douyin's website with a US IP address confirms that the site is viewable from the US. It displays videos in landscape orientation, unlike TikTok, which is locked into its signature portrait orientation on both web browsers and its mobile app. While Douyin prompts viewers to create an account, it's easy to avoid this and scroll through the main feed of content. Scanning the QR code on the page takes viewers to the app store, but it's not possible to install Douyin on a US iOS device.
The Google Play Store's Douyin listing is viewable from US web browsers. Douyin's website also loads on a US iOS device, but it doesn't allow users to watch videos like the web version. Instead, it prompts users to install the app. Apple's App Store still has it blocked, though, and won't show the app's store page. Instead, it displays the standard message: "This app is currently not available in your country or region."
Like TikTok, Douyin's web version has a personalized feed and a "following" feed. It also has a main home tab, a profile tab, and tabs that appear to be for live streams, gaming, informational, music, food, and entertainment content. Compared to TikTok, that's a lot more categories for users to choose from.
Some US lawmakers who want TikTok banned have criticized it for allegedly offering dangerous content to US users, claiming that Douyin users get more educational content. Without logging in, a brief test showed Douyin videos that appeared to present movies about plane heists and anime videos with characters in prison. Clips of zoo animals and women's faces were also encountered on the main home feed. This quick test didn't provide educational videos, but it did offer a lot of cutdowns of preexisting media.
