❘ Published: 2022-04-11T13:15:24
❘ Updated: 2022-04-11T13:15:24
Owned by ByteDance, TikTok has become a hub for viral video content.
If you’ve ever become so sick of a TikTok sound that you don’t want to see it on your For You Page anymore, or you don’t like a viral trend that’s attached to it, there are some steps you can take to prevent it appearing on your feed.
‘Sounds’ are a key component of a huge portion of TikTok’s most viral videos, serving as the inspiration behind countless trends.
Sometimes sounds can be snippets of hit songs, and other times they can be bits of audio from interviews or viral memes outside of TikTok, such as Miranda Cosgrove’s “I actually do cuss a little” sound that went viral in March.
However, sometimes you may find that you’re seeing a lot of content on your For You Page using the exact same sound, and this can get repetitive after a while. Alternatively, certain audios can come attached to harmful or possibly disturbing trends, so you might be keen to remove it from your feed. But how can you do that?
Pixabay
Much of TikTok’s content is based on viral sound.
How to block sounds on TikTok
Unfortunately, there isn’t a foolproof way to completely block a sound from your feed. However, there is a way to show the algorithm you’re not interested in it, which should help to decrease how often it appears.
- Read More: How to link your Instagram account to TikTok
Here’s how to do it:
- Open TikTok.
- Find a video using the sound you want to block.
- Press and hold the screen until the pop-up menu appears.
- Tap ‘Not interested.’
Each time you see the sound, repeat the above process, and in theory the algorithm will learn that you don’t want to see content associated with the sound, and show it to you less.
If you want to learn more about how to use TikTok, you can check out our other guides here:
How to duet on TikTok | How to Stitch on TikTok | How to go live on TikTok | How to find contacts on TikTok | How to use TikTok Stories | Best time to post on TikTok for more views and likes
There comes a point for almost every TikTok user when they've heard the song "Into the Thick of It" or some other sound on the app that they're just sick of. We've all been there. And, it turns out, you can essentially block those sounds that you'd rather not hear over and over in your feed. It all boils down to the mysterious TikTok algorithm: When you don't want to hear a specific sound, you can use the algorithm to your advantage.
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The algorithm behind TikTok and how it works is confusing to most users, and that's totally okay. What's important is understanding that the way TikTok chooses what you watch depends on how much or how little you interact with a certain type of video, including what sound or song is used in said video.
Source: TikTok
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In order to block a specific sound in your TikTok feed, you'll first need to find a couple of videos that use the sound. Then, long press on them and select "not interested." If you do this with enough videos that have the same audio you no longer want to hear, then you will slowly see less and less of those videos in your For You Page on TikTok.
Again, it's all about showing TikTok what you like. And if you don't interact positively with a video that uses a sound or a specific song you don't like, then TikTok will understand that over time. If you go through the process of pressing on the icon that says you aren't interested in it, then you can speed up the process of the app keeping those sounds out of your feed.
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I hate tiktok for getting backyardigans sounds stuck in my head ffs
— estée. (@aesteetic) June 11, 2021
Some TikTok users are also confused about why the app sometimes mutes their videos.
There are other times when you might watch a TikTok video and find that the audio doesn't work. Whether it's your own video or someone else's, there is an explanation for most cases of this happening: Apparently, if TikTok detects a copyrighted sound, the sound could then be muted while the video continues to play.
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It's unclear why the app does this to some sounds but not all of them. And, for that matter, why so many songs become sensations on TikTok despite being copyrighted before they are uploaded with videos. But, like the TikTok algorithm, the reasoning behind some sounds being muted and others becoming trends on the app is something of a mystery.
i think the reason why i hate tiktok is because i cant stand listening to the same sounds over and over like when a song goes viral its every other video on my fyp and it drives me nuts
— gloop (@Iimeya) June 14, 2021
You can make your own sounds on TikTok too.
If the songs or sounds on TikTok aren't what you need to play over your video, you can make your own instead. To do it, go to the screen to create a new video, From there, record or upload your video. Then, press "next." Choose the "voiceover" button and record your sound. Afterward, other people will be able to use your sound for their TikTok videos too.
TikTok really is the gift that keeps on giving.