Ever found yourself watching a jaw-dropping travel video and wondering, “But is it worth visiting?” TikTok feels your pain. In a move that should have Google executives nervously adjusting their ties, TikTok has quietly rolled out a game-changing feature that transforms how we discover and vet places.

The Death of App-Switching
Before this update, you’d have to screenshot, open Google Maps, search the location in mind, read reviews, then switch back to TikTok—assuming you can even remember what you were doing in the first place. Now? That multi-app dance is history. TikTok is embedding reviews directly in the comments tab of location-tagged videos. One tap and you’re seeing star ratings, written reviews, and user-uploaded photos—all without leaving the app.. 

Gen Z’s New Search Engine
This isn’t just a random feature update—it’s part of TikTok’s strategy to become the go-to search engine for Gen Z. Google has already acknowledged the shift, citing it as a growing competitor in search and maps among younger users.

The New Battleground
This update is just the latest skirmish in the ongoing search wars. Last year, TikTok added image search that lets shoppers upload photos to find similar products. More recently, they launched “TikTok Search Ads Campaigns” allowing advertisers to target search results.

TikTok hasn’t confirmed if this feature will roll out globally—it appears to be in testing, showing up only on select location-tagged videos. But the message is clear: TikTok wants a bigger piece of Google’s pie.

You can read more here.