Reddit tests TikTok-style audio and video post experience
Original: Reddit begins testing a new audio and video experience, similar to popular TikTok videos
Why This Matters
Reddit's move signals a strategic push to capture passive, on-the-go audiences competing with short-form video platforms.
Reddit began testing a new audio and video experience on August 17, 2026, allowing users to listen to or watch narrated versions of posts across select communities on iOS and Android, with a "read" or "play" option available per post.
Reddit announced on August 17, 2026, that it is rolling out an early, limited test of a new audio and video format for posts, targeting select English-language communities on its iOS and Android apps. Users can choose to "read" a post in the traditional text format or "play" it as an audio or video experience. The original post and its comments remain accessible and unchanged.
The initiative was previewed during Reddit's Q2 2026 earnings call, where CEO Steve Huffman noted that Reddit content is already being consumed in narrated form on platforms like TikTok and Meta's Reels — often via text-to-speech or creator voiceovers paired with unrelated footage. "There is an emerging content type elsewhere on the internet of, basically, podcasts where people read Reddit content," Huffman said.
Reddit stated the tests are early experiments to determine how these formats serve users and whether they feel authentic to the platform. The company sees use cases including listening while exercising, walking, or running errands. This effort builds on prior video initiatives, including native video hosting, a TikTok-style feed, and video support in comments — the latter now representing more than 10% of video posts on the platform.