Essential TikTok Privacy Features You Should Activate Now

TikTok thrives on the creation and sharing of engaging short videos. However, many users may prefer a more private experience. This article offers a comprehensive overview of the necessary TikTok privacy settings that you can modify to enjoy a more secure and private environment while using the platform.

1. Turn Off Contact Syncing

TikTok promotes connecting with friends and contacts, which can make it easier to find familiar faces. However, I believe in keeping my social media networks separate from my entire contact list. Particularly, it feels uncomfortable to have older family members following my TikTok content.

To maintain my privacy, I have chosen to disable contact syncing and add people manually. This feature is activated by default to facilitate connections, but if you’d like to turn it off, follow these steps:

Launch TikTok (Android | iOS), and tap on the Profile icon located at the bottom.

On your profile page, find the hamburger menu in the top right corner and select Settings & privacy at the bottom.

Next, go to Privacy -> Sync contacts and Facebook friends.

Disable the Sync contacts toggle and select Remove previously synced contacts to erase any existing data. If your TikTok account is linked to Facebook, ensure that Sync Facebook friends is also turned off.

Within the Privacy section, click on Suggest your account to others.

Make sure the Contacts toggle is switched off, along with the other two options. This will prevent your account from being suggested to other TikTok users.

2. Conceal Your Activity Status

Similar to other social media platforms, TikTok features an activity status indicator. Personally, I prefer disabling this option as it eliminates the pressure of immediate responses to messages or comments. By keeping my online status private, I can take my time when crafting replies.

To modify this setting, navigate to Settings & Privacy -> Privacy in the TikTok app, and toggle off the Activity Status option within the Discoverability section.

3. Disable Profile & Post Views

While exploring TikTok, I prefer not to feel burdened by the option that shows visitors to my profile and my post views. For enhanced privacy, I have chosen to disable these features. Although I won’t have visibility into who checks my profile or views my posts, it’s worth the trade to enjoy anonymous browsing.

If this sounds appealing, head to Settings & privacy -> Privacy and toggle off both Post views and Profile views.

4. Conceal Your Likes and Follows

I prefer to keep my preferences regarding likes concealed on TikTok. Furthermore, I don’t want others tracking the accounts I’m following. Having this information accessible can create unnecessary tension with followers, so I take advantage of TikTok’s privacy settings to keep my likes and follows private.

To do this, go to Settings & Privacy -> Privacy. Scroll down to find Following list, tap it, then go back and select Liked videos.

Choose Only you from the selections so that your followers cannot see whom you are following or what videos you have liked.

5. Control Who Can DM You and Comment

If your purpose for using TikTok isn’t chatting, you may want to avoid interruptions from DMs. I selected a more relaxed option, but you have the ability to restrict messages completely.

To adjust your settings, navigate to Settings & privacy -> Privacy, and find the Direct messages section.

Tap on Allow direct messages from at the top and change it to a different setting. I picked Friends, which allows only mutual followers to message me. Alternatively, choose No one to ensure complete tranquility.

You can also decide who may comment on your posts. Go back to the Privacy section, tap on Comments, and then modify the Allow comments from setting to either Friends or No one.

6. Set Up Private Stories

TikTok gives users the ability to manage who views their stories. I choose to share my stories exclusively with followers who are also my friends or family.

You can adjust the audience for each individual story in the creation panel. However, if you prefer consistent sharing, you can set the privacy for ALL future stories.

Navigate to Settings & privacy -> Story and select either Friends or Only you.

7. Activate Two-Factor Authentication

Like most users, I want to safeguard my TikTok account from unauthorized access. Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a significant security measure in case my password is compromised (although I also make sure to use a strong, unique password).

Head to Settings & privacy -> Security & permissions -> 2-step verification.

Select two methods for receiving your verification code—I’ve chosen an authenticator app and email. Click on the Turn on button.

After you enable 2FA, you’ll need to input both your password and a verification code every time you log into TikTok. Note that logging out means you will need to enter your credentials again the next time you open the app.

8. Switch to a Private Account

If you desire to minimize your TikTok visibility further, consider switching your account to private. While this option may not appeal to everyone, it can enhance your control over follower interactions. Keep in mind that if you aim to monetize your account, setting it to private may hinder that goal.

When you’ve decided to make your account private, you’ll be tasked with approving (or denying) any incoming follow requests manually. This gives you control over who sees your content, live streams, profile, and likes.

To proceed, go to Settings & privacy -> Privacy, and switch on the Private account option.

If you’re also using other social media platforms, consider checking out how to enhance your privacy settings on Snapchat and Facebook.

Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots provided by Alexandra Arici.

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