‘This is a travesty’: Woman issues warning on why you shouldn’t update your TikTok app

Are users now locked into the TikTok automatic watermark? One user on the platform says that a new update means you can't escape it when you share your videos to other social media sites.

Musician Vera Kay's concerns quickly went viral after she posted them in a video on the site on Dec. 5.

Her video has other users concerned and has already racked up over 1 million views since it was posted.

With the impending, but not quite certain, TikTok ban scheduled for next year, some users are worried their videos might not be able to be shown on other platforms.

New update? TikTok automatic watermark

"Do not update your TikTok app!!! I'm literally going to cry," Kay's video screen text warns.

"Now they have taken away the ability to download your videos when you record them without the watermark," she claims.

"I cannot believe that this just happens," she continues. She shows a screenshot showing the options to save without a watermark or with one, claiming the old utility of posting sans watermark is now gone.

What is the TikTok watermark?

According to Vista Social, "The watermark on TikTok videos is the superimposed logo of the platform with the original creator’s username."

The watermark is used by the site to identify videos for marketing and copyright purposes.

"It makes it crystal clear who the original creator is so other users can’t repost the TikTok videos without proper attribution."

Per Vista Social, the watermark allows original creators to be properly attributed.

TikTok has not acknowledged whether or not the automatic watermark claimed by Kay is in effect. It has not been discussed on the site's newsroom page as either a feature or a bug.

How to get rid of it

There are several ways to get rid of the watermark in the face of any upcoming ban according to Yahoo! Tech.

They recommend three methods.

1. Grab a snippet of a public video in GIF form. "Long-press on a video and tap Save Video. The video is placed in your phone's camera roll, and you'll see options there to share it via SMS, Facebook, WhatsApp, or other services."
2. Use a third-party app to erase the watermarks (Warning: Beware of copyright for this option). They warn, "The results can look sloppy because they essentially blur watermarks by adding extra pixels to the video frames."
3. Video "grabs" using other third-party apps. "The best bet is to download videos without any watermarks in the first place, for free, using third-party apps and helper websites, which require the URL for the individual TikTok videos."

One viewer suggests another alternate method. "For the 25th time: POST IT PRIVATE. DOWNLOAD. DELETE," writes Arch Bishop Don "Magic" WAT? (@nuteraygun) in the video's comments.

Viewers are upset

Viewers of Kay's video overwhelmingly shared her concerns.

"I didn’t update mine and it still was done without my consent." The Nurse and the Nerd wrote one user.

"Mine just updated itself I DIDN'T WANT IT," another added.

Someone else wrote, "I’m so upset about this."

However, some comments offered fixes to the supposed problem.

"It will save it without the watermark if you post it. So just post 'only you'," one stated.

Another user commented, 'Post and save without watermark' then immediately 'delete and re-edit'.”

@itsverakay #greenscreen #tiktokupdate #contentcreator #tiktokeditingtips ♬ original sound - itsverakay

The Daily Dot reached out to Kay via TikTok and Instagram messenger for further comment. The Daily Dot has reached out to TikTok via its website for a statement.

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