How to use auto scroll on TikTok (2024)

When it comes to pressing the dopamine button in your brain, few apps do it better than TikTok. Everything you're shown is algorithmically generated to keep you swiping through videos for hours. But did you know, you can set up TikTok to scroll through your feed for you, automating your interaction with the app, leaving your brain free to completely disengage from reality. The feature is easy to activate and handy, especially if you like to put your favorite compact phone down while you're working and have some pleasant background noise. Here's what to do.

TikTok: a very brief introduction

TikTok is the fastest growing social media app that attracts a diverse, global audience. It allows users to share short videos with the focus being on discovery. Instead of seeing your friends' posts, TikTok's algorithm feeds topical videos that will likely appeal to you. TikTok Live, the app's livestreaming feature, allows popular creators and shops go live 24/7.

And TikTok has more than 1 billion active users, it is controversial to say the least. It has been banned or partially banned in more than a dozen countries, and the US plans to ban the app unless ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the app, divests from TikTok.

If you want to know more about the app and surrounding controversy, our TikTok guide has a more in-depth history, and we've reported on TikTok privacy and safety concerns.

Activating auto scroll on TikTok is simple. You won't waste your time much if the feature isn't available on your account either, as you will know at a glance whether you have access.

1. Open the TikTok app.
2. Navigate to the Home tab.
3. Press and hold the video from which you wish auto scrolling to begin.
4. After a moment, a menu will open. Swipe the ribbon menu to the left until you see Auto scroll, then tap it. This activates the Auto scroll feature and will scroll to the next video on your feed as soon as the current one ends.
5. To turn off Auto scroll, repeat the previous steps, and tap Manual scroll. This switches your TikTok feed to manual swipe inputs.

Are there any downsides to auto scrolling through TikTok?

Auto scrolling is still a new mechanic, and not every TikTok account can access it. The option isn't there. This may change as time goes on as TikTok refines and improves the feature, but unless this happens, this is another feature that not everyone will get to use on the TikTok app.

Also, photo posts don't appear to scroll automatically. You have to swipe right through the post's gallery and swipe left once you reach the end. This scrolls to the next post. While this interrupts the set-it-and-forget-it flow to a certain extent, it works to ensure that users don't miss anything or experience the post in the wrong order.

Enjoy your TikTok feed

Although TikTok isn't replacing television, with the auto-scroll feature enabled, you can let TikTok drip-feed you the best short video content the internet has to offer without lifting a finger, just like we used to do back in the days of basic cable. To get the most out of auto-scroll, be sure to spend some time browsing and liking videos on the platform so that TikTok can give you exactly what you want. And if you're looking for something else in your social media, check out our list of the the best social media apps.