As TikTok further develops its search capabilities, the platform is beginning to display reviews for specific locations directly within a video's comments section.

TikTok users who can avail themselves of this new feature will find a new "Reviews" tab positioned on the right once they engage to view the video's comments.

For example, encountering a video of Central Park in New York City with a geotag will allow you to view users' star ratings, written reviews, and any uploaded photos for that location.

This section also allows users to navigate to a reviewer's TikTok profile by clicking their username, setting it apart from a previous Google Maps integration, which was identifiable by a Google Maps icon.

While the new feature may enhance the experience for some users, others may perceive it as cluttering the interface when viewing content.

This move signifies TikTok's latest strategy to extend its search capabilities in an effort to challenge Google.

In 2022, a Google executive proposed that TikTok was encroaching upon its fundamental services, Search and Maps, particularly amongst younger demographics. Advancing to the present day, TikTok has contested Google's supremacy across multiple domains.

Beyond its status as a premier platform for place discovery among Gen Z, TikTok integrated image search features last year, enabling users to capture or upload photos to locate comparable products within TikTok Shop.

As of September 2024, TikTok has also enabled advertisers to strategically target its search results page via "TikTok Search Ads Campaigns," a keyword-driven search mechanism designed to showcase brands' advertisements within search outcomes.

Whether TikTok intends to implement its reviews tab on a wider scale remains uncertain, as the company opted not to offer a statement prior to publication. Nevertheless, during TechCrunch's trials, we observed that this functionality appeared solely on select videos featuring a location tag.