Inside X’s TikTok-Style Transformation: Short-Form Video and the New App Experience

The landscape of social media is a perpetual game of mutual imitation. Features cross boundaries so frequently that platforms built for text quickly adopt video, and short-form video giants routinely experiment with text-based posts.

Among the most talked-about shifts in this arena is how X (formerly Twitter) has evolved to incorporate a dedicated, immersive, short-form video ecosystem reminiscent of TikTok. Whether users refer to this shift colloquially as the “X TikTok app” experience or look at how X has re-engineered its media layout, the platform has fundamentally changed how short-form video is consumed.

The Pivot to Immersive, Vertical Video

For years, X was defined by the chronological or algorithmic text timeline, supplemented occasionally by natively uploaded clips or shared links. However, recognizing shifting user habits—and capitalizing on periods of regulatory uncertainty and market shifts faced by standalone video apps—X rolled out major structural updates to its mobile interface.