TikTok has introduced support for ALT text on photo posts, enabling creators to provide descriptive text for users with visual and cognitive impairments. The feature allows screen readers to convey image content through spoken descriptions, the company confirmed to TechCrunch.

Creators can add alternative text during the initial upload process or edit existing posts to include these descriptions. App researcher Radu Oncescu shared screenshots demonstrating the new “Add alternative text” option within the photo post composer.

Image source: @oncescuradu

Implementation Details

The implementation provides a straightforward interface that allows users to write brief descriptions, capturing the key elements of their images. TikTok’s screen reader compatibility converts these descriptions to audio for visually impaired users.

TechCrunch notes that this update aligns TikTok with accessibility standards already adopted by major social platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, X, Reddit, Mastodon, and Tumblr.

Refocusing Approach

The feature arrives as TikTok reconfigures its approach to still image content. The company recently announced that its experimental photo-sharing app, Notes, will close on May 8, directing users toward Lemon8, another ByteDance-owned platform.

While video remains TikTok’s primary focus, the platform has recently shared tips for creating engaging still image posts, suggesting increased attention to this content format.

ALT text joins TikTok’s existing accessibility features, which include auto-generated captions for videos, text-to-speech functionality, and app-wide text size adjustment options. Users can manually edit auto-generated captions to ensure accuracy across content types.