TikTok testing 'New Posts' label and enhanced sound picker features

TikTok appears to be gearing up to release several features aimed at improving content discovery and audio customization for creators, according to recent findings shared by social media manager oncescuradu on Threads.

The platform is currently testing a “New Posts” label within its search function in the iOS app, though the feature seems limited in scope for now. When users search for accounts, they’ll see this label highlighting fresh content from those profiles.

The addition suggests TikTok is working to help users stay updated with the latest posts from creators they’re interested in, though the label doesn’t yet extend to other search categories like hashtags or sounds.

More substantial changes are coming to TikTok’s Sound Picker tool, where two notable enhancements are being tested. The first introduces a dedicated “Hot” feed that showcases trending songs, with the ability to filter results by specific countries or view global trends.

This could prove valuable for creators looking to ride the wave of viral audio trends, making it easier to discover what’s resonating with audiences in different regions. For instance, creators could check trending songs in their countries or their target audience’s countries, giving them a clearer picture of what sounds are gaining traction.

The second Sound Picker improvement addresses a frequent pain point for many TikTok users: audio mixing. Creators will soon be able to adjust sound volumes for both the background music and voiceover directly within the tool.

As one Threads user enthusiastically noted, “Finally, the volume of some things needs adjusting!” This functionality should eliminate the frustration of having music drown out narration or vice versa, giving creators more precise control over their audio balance without needing external editing tools.

These features were spotted by oncescuradu (1, 2), who regularly tracks social media platform updates. While TikTok hasn’t officially announced these tests, the company frequently experiments with new features behind the scenes that can be enabled with a little tinkering.

Whether or not the features actually go live remains to be seen. Also, while current testing appears to be ongoing within the iOS app, it’s likely that the same features will be carried over to TikTok for Android.

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