Douyin to End Same-City Social Function “Circle” on July 29

ByteDance’s short video sharing platform Douyin announced on July 18 that due to changing business developments, “Circle,” a same-city social networking function, will be closed on July 29. The service will not be accessible from that date, although content published by users with the corresponding hashtag will not be affected. Regarding the matter, a customer service staff member responded that no relevant information about follow-up arrangements for this function has been received yet.

Circle began to be tested internally in Douyin in July last year, and is positioned on the “same-city interest” page of the app. Local users can network with other users that have common interests in Circle, which supports publishing videos, pictures and notes.

Douyin previously launched the function with the aim of building better social networking for users in the same city, and at the same time bringing together Douyin users with common interests and hobbies to form a better community.

On the other hand, some users found on July 15 that the app supports food delivery services. For example, barbecue delivery orders are available through a restaurant account on Douyin.

SEE ALSO: Douyin Begins to Explore New Food Delivery Model

The whole transaction process is not very different from ordering food on common delivery platforms. However, this function is provided directly by the Douyin app, instead of the mini programs built by the merchant or accessing third-party food delivery mini programs.

A Douyin spokesperson responded to the matter of food delivery, stating: “Douyin Local Life Service is carrying out activities to help businesses recover in some cities. Considering the actual needs of businesses and users, and in order to better protect the user experience and help the economic recovery, the platform tries to open the distribution service of group-purchased goods for some businesses with urgent needs. At present, the project is still in the exploratory stage.”