Tumblr’s experimental GIF feed finally launches after 10 years

The verge · one year ago · 129 views

Illustration: The Verge Tumbler has finally launched Tumblr TV as a new tab at the top of its app, the company said today in a brief set of update notes spotted by TechCrunch. Tumblr TV first debuted as a GIF-finding feature in 2015, but now it includes video content as well. Screenshot: Tumblr TV According to Tumblr, “New users will have this tab enabled by default in the third position, while existing users will have it available in the Dashboard Tabs configuration, if not already enabled.” When you tap the Tumblr TV tab, you’ll see a grid of videos and GIFs. Once you tap one, you can like, comment, repost, or share it, and when you’re ready to see something else, you can swipe up to move on. In my very brief testing, it’s still very GIF-heavy despite the inclusion of video and a swipe interface similar to other short-form video apps. It could be tempting to compare Tumblr TV to TikTok, especially in light of its recent shutdown, but right now, it’s more like scrolling a group text full of GIFs.

Tumbler has finally launched Tumblr TV as a new tab at the top of its app, the company said today in a brief set of update notes spotted by TechCrunch. Tumblr TV first debuted as a GIF-finding feature in 2015, but now it includes video content as well.

Screenshot: Tumblr TV

According to Tumblr, “New users will have this tab enabled by default in the third position, while existing users will have it available in the Dashboard Tabs configuration, if not already enabled.”

When you tap the Tumblr TV tab, you’ll see a grid of videos and GIFs. Once you tap one, you can like, comment, repost, or share it, and when you’re ready to see something else, you can swipe up to move on.

In my very brief testing, it’s still very GIF-heavy despite the inclusion of video and a swipe interface similar to other short-form video apps.

It could be tempting to compare Tumblr TV to TikTok, especially in light of its recent shutdown, but right now, it’s more like scrolling a group text full of GIFs.