TikTok arrives on Windows 10 and Windows 11 as a Progressive Web App in the Store
PWAs are gaining traction from all the big players, including TikTok, which has launched its app in the Microsoft Store for all Windows users.
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What you need to know
Amongst the hubbub ofWindows 11arriving yesterday for those on theWindows Insider program(and qualifying hardware) was TikTok appearing in the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Of course, it’s not a native app built for Windows, but is, instead, aprogressive web app (PWA). This is a similar strategy to the officialTwitterand Facebook apps, which leverage Microsoft Edge to power the app experience.
The TikTok app, however, is quite helpful. Not only can you log into your account, but you can direct message others and even upload videos. There are also the usual functions like For You, Following, LIVE, and suggested accounts ensuring you can now waste hours at work when you should be using Microsoft Office.
The one thing TikTok is missing, though, is a dark mode. The bright white background becomes a bit overwhelming on a laptop or PC, but hopefully, TikTok can add this feature later. Being a web-based application, TikTok can make on-the-fly adjustments to the app without users needing to update through the Store.
Progressive web apps are becoming increasingly important to fill in the mobile app gap for Windows. Even Instagram is reportedly getting ready to finally let usersupload photos via the webthrough its PWA. And, over time, we’ll see these PWA become evenmore native-like, making them nearly indistinguishable from natively-coded apps.
We will likely see more companies leverage Edge Chromium for official apps in the Microsoft Store. But even if not, there is no reason why you can’t install Google Maps, Google Photos, Gmail, YouTube,Disney+,Amazon Kindleand more as “apps” for your Windows 10 PC right now.
That said, on Windows 11, some of this may be moot. With the coming addition ofthe Amazon Android app store, the ability to run Android apps natively, and evensideloading APKs, you can have a choice between PWA or Android. And really, that’s all that matters in the end: choice.
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The official TikTok app arrives on Windows 10 and Windows 11 as a web app in the Microsoft Store. Users can browse their feeds, direct message others, and even upload TikTok videos right from their Windows PC.
Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer,podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.
