TikTok is rolling out a “Nearby Feed” feature in France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, enabling users to discover local content, creators, and businesses based on their geographic location.
The Nearby Feed appears as a tab on the TikTok home screen, with the tab name reflecting the user’s current location. Posts appear based on location, content topic, and posting date, showing users local content related to travel, events, food and drink, and other services aligned with their interests and engagement patterns.
Users can access different locations by selecting the location name and updating their settings, whether they are traveling or researching future trips. The feature allows creators’ public posts to reach people located in the city or region where they posted or tagged a location or service.
Privacy Controls and Eligibility
Location sharing remains optional and is available only to users 18 or older. Users can enable or disable the feature at any time through their settings. When enabled, TikTok may use GPS-based location services to provide location-based recommendations, but only when the app is actively in use. iOS users will see a visible indicator when location services are being accessed.
Content eligibility for the Nearby Feed has specific restrictions. Posts from users under 18, private accounts, content set to “Friends” or “Only You” privacy settings, and content posted more than 90 days ago do not appear in the feed. Users under 18 cannot access the Nearby Feed, regardless of their account settings.
Business and Economic Impact
TikTok stated the Nearby Feed “supports local economies by increasing visibility for small businesses, cultural institutions, and local creators” and “helps drive discovery, foot traffic, and real-world engagement.”
The company cited Oxford Economics data from 2023 showing 46% of TikTok users in the UK have visited a local shop, restaurant, or attraction they discovered on the platform.
The launch follows TikTok’s expansion of local business features, including hotel booking functionality through a partnership with Booking.com announced in August. That integration introduced “TikTok Go,” a monetization program allowing local merchants to pay creators commissions or offer vouchers for promotional content.
The Nearby Feed represents TikTok’s continued investment in location-based discovery tools. The platform previously introduced a “Places” tab for destination discovery and partnerships with Ticketmaster and Fandango for booking concert and movie tickets directly through the app.
Research published in the Journal of Marketing in March 2024 found that targeting “nearby” influencers with connections to a brand can be 46% more effective than targeting remote influencers with large audiences, suggesting potential value in TikTok’s location-based content distribution approach.