It's Giving Too Local! Here's the 4-1-1 on How to Turn Off Local on TikTok

The goal of using TikTok is to connect with folks around the world, possibly make your influencer dreams come true, or simply use the app as an escape.

TikTok continues to reign supreme because its creators are transparent. From relationship issues to debates about the best comfort food recipes, there’s something for everyone to indulge in. However, many users have noticed that the videos rolling down their feed have become a bit too local.

Have you ever scrolled down your feed and noticed that the content has shifted? Do you see that the content pool has decreased from its normal variety and is showing you, creators from your neighborhood? If so, you get our heavy drift on the TikTok feed being too local. That said, you don't have to deal with seeing local content all the time.

If you’re ready to strictly consume content that doesn’t remind you of your surroundings, here's how to turn off local on TikTok.

When it comes to local content on your TikTok, it comes down to your GPS location. You may have forgotten, but your device typically provides apps with your precise location. This is usually available in the “Settings” section of your phone.

When going to the ‘Settings” section, you’ll be able to see which apps on your phone have been granted access to your location. Per TikTok, if the app doesn’t appear on the list of apps granted with location access, you don’t have to worry about TikTok accessing your location.

As such, your feed will appear normally, with content from creators worldwide.

However, if you see that TikTok has access to your location, you can revoke it. Simply set it to “off” by toggling the setting. Once it's set to off, TikTok says that the app won’t collect your location information.

While some folks aren't fond of the local feed, TikTok says its goal is to give people a more tailored experience.

"The Local Feed is a new tab on the TikTok home screen designed to help people stay connected to their community and discover what's going on nearby," the app states. "It features local content related to travel, events, restaurants, and shopping, as well as posts from small businesses and local creators. Posts in the Local Feed are shown to people based on location, the topic of the content, and when the content was posted, making it easier to discover what's going on locally.

In addition, the app shares that “the approach is consistent with how many modern apps use location today and gives people the choice to enable it when they want more relevant, local experiences, while keeping them in control." That said, TikTok makes it clear that it's entirely optional. And while the feature is slowly being introduced across the U.S., it will only be active when the app is in use.

“When someone chooses to use a feature that accesses location, their device clearly shows an on-screen indicator, making it transparent when and how location is being used,” the app says.

Additionally, this feature will only be available on accounts where the user is 18 or older, and can be turned off at any time.

So, if you haven’t noticed that your feed has been affected, you’re in the clear — for now. If and when you notice the change, you can take action.