News

TikTok Increases Video Length From 60 Seconds To 3 Minutes

Given that TikTok has around 1 billion users worldwide, it shouldn’t really surprise you that not all creators are happy with the expanded time limit.

Published

5 years ago

July 7, 2021

Joanna Melki

tiktok increases video length from 60 seconds to 3 minutes

Social media sites depend on their users just as much as their users have come to depend on them. To keep users happy and avoid becoming another MySpace, they must listen to their feedback and evolve based on their changing expectations. TikTok has been carefully listening to its audience and has recently announced a feature that’s been highly requested.

Originally, TikTok videos were up to 15 seconds long, but that turned out not to be nearly enough for users to express themselves, so the limit was increased to 60 seconds. Now, TikTok is bumping the video length limit one more time — this time to 3 minutes.

“With longer videos, creators will have the canvas to create new or expanded types of content on TikTok, with the flexibility of a bit more space,” said product manager Drew Kirchhoff. “Some of you might have come across a longer video on TikTok already — we’ve been letting creators around the world experiment with the expanded format.”

In just a few weeks, all TikTok users will be able to share with the rest of the world videos that are up to 3 minutes long, which is guaranteed to be a boon to all creators of educational, demonstrational, and explainer content, among others.

Creating a 3-minute video on TikTok is easy. When you access TikTok’s camera function, you can swipe directly above the record button to switch between 15 seconds, 60 seconds, or 3 minutes.

Also Read: How To Use TikTok Auto Captions To Make Your Videos More Accessible

Given that TikTok has around 1 billion users worldwide, including approximately 100 million in the United States, it shouldn’t really surprise you that not all creators are happy with the expanded time limit. They fear that it could destroy what the platform has always been about: users sharing short, addicting video clips with lots of viral potential.

What’s certain is that TikTok can’t afford to lose its appeal with its main demographic (teenagers) because its main competitors, including Triller, Dubsmash, and Byte doing what they can to attract as many new users as possible.

News

Syria Just Got Its First Super App Featuring Built-In Digital Payments

Built by UAE-based Syrian founders with the Ministry of Tourism’s backing, My Syria lands as visitor numbers more than double.

Published

4 days ago

August 1, 2026

Nour Nasir

syria just got its first super app featuring built-in digital payments

For most of the past decade, paying for anything in Syria with an international card was effectively impossible. Sanctions, a collapsed banking sector, and years of isolation left the country running on cash. That is what makes the launch of My Syria — the country’s first super app — more than a routine product announcement.

Developed by 121 Living, a company founded by four UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs — Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani, and Kinan Madi — the app launched in Damascus on July 30 under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. It bundles hotels, restaurants, transport, attractions, food delivery, and other lifestyle services into a single platform, currently offering eight services with plans to expand to more than 40 verified tourism and hospitality providers across the country.

Although the app already sounds enticing, the headline feature is its built-in payments. My Syria is the first platform in Syria to support cross-border digital payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express — familiar tools for international visitors, and a route into the digital economy for local businesses that have long operated outside it.

my syria super app launch event

The launch rides on a sharp rebound for the troubled country. Syria’s tourism sector recorded 3.52 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 111 percent increase over the 1.67 million during the same period in 2025 — a mix of returning expatriates, regional visitors, and international tourists.

Also Read: This UAE Platform Wants To Replace Fashion Photo Shoots With AI

The Ministry of Tourism, which supported and supervised the app’s development, frames the launch as proof of concept for a wider strategy. “Digital transformation is one of the Ministry’s strategic priorities because it enables us to build a more competitive, connected and investment-ready tourism sector,” Al-Salhani said, inviting technology companies “globally, regionally and locally” to explore opportunities across the wider economy.

For 121 Living, this is phase one, with additional services and expanded geographic coverage planned. Whether a super app can flourish in a market still rebuilding its infrastructure is an open question, but for the first time in years, a visitor to Damascus can pay for dinner with their phone.