TikTok has officially launched its Local Feed feature for US users following the app’s transition to American ownership. The new feature allows users to discover content, businesses, and services based on their precise geographical location, marking a significant expansion of how the platform tailors content to regional communities.
What Is TikTok’s Local Feed?
The Local Feed is a new dedicated tab on the TikTok home screen designed to help users “get the inside scoop on must-try restaurants, shops, museums and events.” The feature displays hyper-local content related to travel, dining, shopping, and events happening near the user’s current location, as well as posts from small businesses and local creators.
Content in the Local Feed is prioritized based on three factors: the user’s location, the topic of the content, and when the content was posted. This approach makes the feed a current source of local information rather than a static catalog.
Privacy and Opt-In Functionality
Despite recent scrutiny over TikTok’s updated terms of service that expanded the platform’s ability to collect precise location data, the company has designed the Local Feed as an opt-in feature. The precise location permission defaults to “off,” requiring users to actively enable it if they want hyper-local recommendations.
When users first access the Local Feed, they’ll receive a prompt asking permission to access location data through their device’s GPS settings. Users can choose to allow access once, while using the app, or deny it entirely. According to TikTok’s announcement, the feature will only collect location information while the app is actively in use.
The Local Feed is available exclusively to users 18 and older and won’t appear on private accounts or accounts with restricted privacy settings.
Supporting Small Businesses
The launch of the Local Feed is part of a broader push to attract small businesses to TikTok both as content creators and advertisers. TikTok notes that 7.5 million businesses currently use the platform to reach global customers, and these businesses support more than 28 million workers. According to a Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council survey, 84% of TikTok small business users reported the platform helped grow their business, while 74% said it helped them connect with their local community.
By highlighting nearby brick-and-mortar stores, restaurants, and local events, TikTok aims to drive real-world traffic and sales for small businesses across the country.
European Rollout Preceded US Launch
This isn’t TikTok’s first iteration of a location-based discovery feed. The company previously tested a “Nearby” feed in Southeast Asian markets as far back as 2022 and launched a full Local Feed option in European countries including the UK, France, Italy, and Germany in late 2025. The US rollout represents an expansion of a feature the platform has been refining internationally.
Privacy Considerations
While the Local Feed offers practical value in discovering local content and supporting community businesses, users should consider the privacy implications. The feature’s timing—coinciding with TikTok’s expanded ability to collect precise location data—has raised some questions about whether the feature’s announcement was designed to justify the privacy policy changes rather than precede them.
Nevertheless, TikTok’s implementation as an opt-in feature with privacy controls gives users agency in deciding whether the convenience of hyperlocal discovery is worth sharing precise location information.
Photo by LoboStudioHamburg on Pixabay