TikTok is improving its search feature by showing reviews for certain places directly in the comments of videos. This new function, which seems to be a trial, means you don't need to search again or use Google to find out more about a place you see on TikTok.

TikTok users who can use this new feature will find a new "Reviews" tab on the right when they look at the video's comments.

For example, if you find a video of Central Park in New York City with the location tagged, you can see users' star ratings, reviews, and photos if they have uploaded them.

Also, you can click on a reviewer's name to see their TikTok profile, which is different from an older Google Maps feature that had a Google Maps symbol.

While some people might like the new feature, others may feel it makes the user experience too complicated when looking at content.

This action shows TikTok's latest effort to grow its search features and compete with Google.

In 2022, a manager at Google said that TikTok was taking customers from its main services, Search and Maps, especially young people. Now, TikTok has become a serious competitor to Google in many ways.

Besides being a popular place for young people (Gen Z) to search for places, TikTok also added a feature last year where users can use photos. They can take a picture or upload one to find similar items to buy on TikTok Shop.

In September 2024, TikTok started letting companies put ads on its search results page. This is called "TikTok Search Ads Campaigns." It uses keywords so brands' ads appear when people search.

We don't know if TikTok will make the reviews tab available to everyone, because the company didn't answer our questions before we published this. But when we tested it, we saw the feature only on some videos with a location added.