TikTok Expands In-App Features with Restaurant Guides, Bookings, and Digital Payments
TikTok is continuing to expand its platform beyond short-form videos, introducing a range of integrated services that position the social media app as an all-in-one digital destination. Over recent years, the company has added commercial, financial, travel, and entertainment tools aimed at handling multiple user activities within a single application.
The expansion mirrors the super app model prevalent in China, exemplified by platforms such as WeChat, which combine messaging, social media, mobile payments, and app distribution into a unified service. TikTok—which transitioned to new, primarily U.S. ownership in January—is applying a similar strategy following the initial rollout of its e-commerce feature, TikTok Shop.
Local Discovery and Restaurant Guides
TikTok announced the launch of an in-app restaurant guide called "Must Eat" to assist users with local discovery. Drawing on more than 40 million posts and comments, the community-driven guide aggregates restaurant recommendations and curated lists into a single location. Users can search for venues by city and filter results by cuisine, price, rating, and geographic location.
To support local searches, TikTok has introduced dedicated location pages displaying detailed operational information, including star ratings, price ranges, and opening hours, along with maps and reviews. The inclusion of these features places the platform into more direct competition with established search and discovery services such as Yelp and Google Maps.
Financial Services and Payment Systems
TikTok is also developing financial tools to handle transactions inside the app. Bloomberg reported in August that the company is working on a feature enabling users to transfer money directly through direct messages. If deployed, the feature will utilize TikTok Pay, a service currently operating in Southeast Asia for purchases made via TikTok Shop.
Additionally, Reuters reported in March that TikTok applied for regulatory approval from Brazil's central bank to operate as a financial technology company offering lending and payment services. Integrating financial capabilities is designed to increase user retention, create new revenue channels, and establish competition with fintech platforms and digital marketplaces.
Travel Bookings and E-Commerce Expansion
In May, the company launched TikTok GO in the United States, allowing users to discover and book hotels, local attractions, and travel experiences directly within the app. Rather than redirecting users to external sites, the service surfaces lodging options and activities via video content, search functions, and location pages, completing bookings natively.
This initiative follows the growth of TikTok Shop, which was initially tested in 2021 and launched in the U.S. in 2023. According to data from eMarketer, U.S. sales on TikTok Shop expanded by 407 percent in 2024 and by an additional 108 percent in 2025, reaching $15.82 billion. The platform held an 18.2 percent share of total U.S. social commerce last year, with projections reaching 24.1 percent by 2027. TikTok Shop has also expanded its product catalog to include luxury retail and branded gift cards.
Sports, Music, and Media Content
TikTok has added specialized hubs and content tools to retain sports and media audiences. In early June, the platform introduced a dedicated FIFA World Cup hub providing scores, match schedules, standings, highlights, and player videos. The hub operates under "TikTok GamePlan," a product designed to help sports leagues and broadcasters drive engagement. TikTok also maintains content partnerships with Major League Baseball (MLB) and Major League Soccer (MLS).
In music, the platform launched a standalone streaming service, TikTok Music, in 2023 to compete with Spotify and Apple Music, but discontinued the app a year later. The company subsequently shifted focus toward partnerships, including a feature that enables Apple Music subscribers to play full tracks directly within the app after finding them on their feed.
For broader entertainment, TikTok has introduced casual in-app games for individual play and direct messaging interactions. The platform has also embraced microdramas by adding an in-app Minis section and launching a dedicated standalone app featuring scripted TV shows delivered in one-minute episodes, competing alongside its existing live streaming and long-form video formats.
