TikTok on Wednesday announced the launch of a new “Local Feed” on the US version of the app, which displays content related to travel, news, events, shopping and food near the user’s current location. The arrival of the stream comes shortly after a change in TikTok’s terms of service under the new US joint venture, which said the app will begin collecting precise location information from TikTok users.
Today, TikTok confirms that the reason it is now asking for more accurate location information is to help power local streaming. However, he notes that users will be able to control whether exact location sharing is enabled or not, and the default will be “off”, making this an experience of choice.
Local Feed was launched in December in select European markets, including the UK, France, Italy and Germany.
The company explains in it communication that the feed is intended to help users stay connected to their local community, and that its posts are shown to people based on their location, the topic of the content, and when the content was posted. This makes it an up-to-date feed of local information — like recommendations for new restaurants to try, local events, shopping suggestions and more.
The new feature also ties into TikTok’s push to attract small businesses to its app, not only as content producers but also as advertisers. That could help insulate it from further regulation and help it argue, as Meta does, that it shouldn’t dominate because so many small businesses rely on its services to reach their customers.
TikTok notes that 7.5 million businesses currently use the app to reach global customers, and these businesses support more than 28 million workers, per Oxford Economics 2025 Report. The company also highlighted data from the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Councilwhich found that 84% of small business TikTok users said the platform helped grow their business, and 75% said TikTok helped them reach customers beyond their region. Additionally, another 74% said TikTok helps them connect with their local community.
As TikTok sees it, Local Stream will help generate real traffic and sales for these brick-and-mortar stores across the US
The first time users access Local Stream, they will be asked to allow the app to use their location data. On iOS, for example, the popup request will allow users to choose whether they want to allow the activity once or while using the app, or not at all.
“This approach is consistent with how many modern apps use location today and gives users the option to turn it on when they want more relevant, local experiences while still maintaining control,” the company wrote in its announcement. However, TikTok likely would have seen better acceptance of this feature if it had processed the request for accurate location data before, or at least at the same time as, its ownership transitioned to the US. That way, the app could at least indicate a reason why it wanted to collect this additional data.
However, even if location data now has a purpose, it’s worth considering whether or not the value of a local stream is worth the privacy risk.
TikTok also notes that the feature will only be available to users 18 and older and will only collect information when the app is used.
