What are TikTok Jumps?

TikTok has announced a new feature called Jump, which will give users a new way to share content though embedded mini-programs and services in their videos.  

The mini-apps (Jumps) can be embedded directly into a video. For example, a cooking video could feature a Jump to a recipe for the meal being made in the TikTok. This would allow the user to see the recipe while watching the video. At present, only a select group of creators (those who have access to TikTok’s Creator Fund) can embed a Jump into their videos, but the platform does plan to roll the feature out more after testing. 

Jumps appear within a video as a button near the bottom of the screen. Clicking on this will open the content in a new screen within TikTok. Creators making the TikTok can choose a Jump to add and can then customise the content viewers see when tapping on the Jump. This will hopefully help creators boost their engagement.

TikTok has partnered with external apps for its beta testing including Whisk, Breathwrk, Quizlet, StatMuse and Tabelog. Each platform has its own Jump that creators can use for different purposes, for example sharing recipes, calming breathing exercises, sports stats and more. 

The platform has revealed that companies soon to be included on the Jump apps include Buzzfeed, Jumprope, IRL and WATCHA. As these companies are added, it is likely we will be seeing Jumps globally as it will be opening up applications for developers who want to create their own experiences.

While Jumps may seem exciting, TikTok isn’t the first social media platform to introduce app-like experiences within videos. Snapchat has a similar feature called Minis that allows users to share and use small apps and games with friends. Minis are also created using HTML5, meaning the development process is relatively simple for those familiar with web development.