Business Chat on TikTok Has Everyone Confused — Here’s What It Means

People are casually tossing around the phrase “business chat” on TikTok like it means more than it seems, and it just may. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about TikTok, it’s that viral words and phrases usually carry a hidden meaning, and some are easier to figure out than others.

When it comes to “business chat,” though, people overall seem pretty stumped. So, we stepped in to help. Here’s what we managed to gather about its meaning based on the context in which it’s being used in.

Business chat on TikTok seems to have a few different meanings. The first is that it might signal someone has limited their ability to communicate with you. So if your boyfriend or girlfriend puts you on “business chat,” it usually means they’re not responding to your messages, sort of like how a business would handle messages — on their own time.

It can also literally mean they’ve switched their TikTok to a business account, which intentionally limits the number of messages you can send. We see this in a TikTok shared by @02_..rose.._02, where they show a business chat open with TikTok. At the top of the chat, it states: “You can only send 1 message until they accept your request, reply to you, or follow you.”

So if someone unfollows you and then switches to a business account, you won’t be able to send messages until they accept your message or follow you back. Honestly, it’s a pretty easy feature to activate, as all you need to do is go into your TikTok app, click the three lines at the top right, tap Settings and privacy, then Account, and finally select Switch to Business Account.

That said, it’s also a pretty bold move to take if you’re looking to cut someone off, even if it’s just temporary.

Limited communication is only one meaning for business chat on TikTok. It could also mean someone is actually seeking communication, possibly even more. In a TikTok shared by @asstheticx3, he jokes that he received a message that says “learn about business chats,” to which he responds, “Forget the business chat, where are you from?”

He even jokingly asks if he needs to book an appointment, saying he will. When used in this context, it seems someone is DMing him about “business chats,” but in reality, the messages are hinting at something R-rated. And if that’s the case, the sender would use “business chat” to simply bypass TikTok’s bots so the content isn’t flagged as inappropriate or a scam.

And it very well could be based on this TikTok shared by @cwwron_. In the video, we see a conversation between them and another user who appears to be a young girl. The chat says “business chat” at the top, and she provides a link to follow once the message request is accepted (remember, business chat requires acceptance). The girl then messages, “Please copy the link and open it in your browser or Safari to get your prize,” and when asked, “But is it real?” she replies, “Yes, of course.”

That said, be leery of business chats popping up in your DMs. Unless you can confirm it’s from a credible business, it could be someone trying to get sensitive information or offer something that shouldn’t be solicited online (or off!).