TikTok is testing a new feature that integrates Google search into in-app search results. Test, spotted by Application researcher Radu Oncescudisplays a small box in the middle of the TikTok search page that invites users to search for the same terms on Google.
TechCrunch has reached out to both companies for details on this feature, which does not currently appear in search for all users, including our own tests. A TikTok spokesperson It was confirmed to Business Insider Google Search is one of the third-party integrations the app is currently testing in some markets.
Last week, The Edge mentioned TikTok is also experimenting with integrating Wikipedia entries directly into its search results. With TikTok expanding in every direction at once, it’s clear that the app has ambitions to become a one-stop-shop for anything users might want to do online, not just a repository of viral dance moves.
Although it’s just a test at the moment, the inclusion of Google Search is interesting for several reasons. For example, a Google executive who runs the company’s knowledge and information division noticed last year that young users who previously used Google were now turning to TikTok and Instagram to search the internet instead.
“We’re learning over and over again that new Internet users don’t have the expectations and mindset we’re used to,” said Prabhakar Raghavan, Google’s senior vice president. “…In our studies, about 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place to eat lunch, don’t go to Google Maps or search.”
Although we can’t verify these approximate numbers, this behavioral shift is a big change from the way people have been online for years. Social apps already take up a significant portion of their users’ time, and it’s not a stretch to imagine that young people won’t have much need to leave TikTok when searching for something.
Notably, Raghavan’s observation also serves Google’s legal argument that its search business has plenty of healthy competition. The company is currently facing the Department of Justice in an antitrust trial expected to last several months, all centered around the research.