In celebration of World Accessibility Awareness Day, TikTok has rolled out a number of new tools designed to make the app more accessible.
“Accessibility isn’t just a design feature – it’s a continued priority as we look to make the TikTok experience positive for everyone, including people with visual, auditory, motor and cognitive differences,” TikTok said in a blog post.
So, how exactly is TikTok doing this? One way is by extending its alt text tool. Recently, the app introduced the ability to add alt text to photo posts, but now, the platform is taking things one step further by testing a feature that uses AI to generate alt text.
Another new feature allows users to increase the color contrast of the app. According to TikTok, this feature increases the foreground color of things like icons, text, and other interface tools. This is designed to help people with vision issues.
The third and final feature TikTok is introducing is the option to have bold text in the app, which, again, helps the visually impaired.
“We know that when people feel seen, heard, and supported, they’re empowered to share their stories, create and connect with others in meaningful ways,” TikTok added. “That’s why we’re focused on continuously building products that serve everyone. We see accessibility not just as a responsibility, but as an opportunity to innovate and foster a more inclusive platform for our global community.”
This comes after a number of other accessibility tools were introduced by TikTok, including auto-generated video captions, dark mode, thumbnail animation, and text-to-speech.
“We know that when people feel seen, heard, and supported, they’re empowered to share their stories, create and connect with others in meaningful ways,” TikTok added in a blog post. “That’s why we’re focused on continuously building products that serve everyone. We see accessibility not just as a responsibility, but as an opportunity to innovate and foster a more inclusive platform for our global community.”
