How to Block a Sound in TikTok

The TikTok algorithm is great for showing you videos that you might be interested in. But have you ever had a sound keep popping up that’s driving you crazy? If so, it might be ruining your experience on the app.

Fortunately, it’s easy to block a sound on TikTok that you don’t want to hear. This article will tell you everything you need to know about blocking sounds on TikTok.

Blocking a Sound from Your Feed

If your ears are tired of a particular noise popping up in your feed, you can block that annoying sound right where it starts.

1. Tap and hold video in question.
   
2. Tap “Not interested” in the menu that pops up.
   
3. Tap “More” to give further details.
4. Tap “Hide videos with this sound.”

This tells the algorithm that you don’t want to see this video anymore, but also, that you don’t want that sound in your feed anymore. If the noise you want to block has to do with a trending theme, you can keep that kind of video from populating your feed every day.

Block an Account on TikTok

If the noise that’s bothering you always comes from the same source, you block an account on TikTok. This method makes sure that you won’t hear that profile’s noises again, as long as you’re okay with not seeing any of their content.

1. Go to the profile that you no longer want to see.
   
2. Tap the icon in the top right, whether that is the share or the 3 dot “more” icon.
   
3. Hit the “block” button. TikTok will warn you that blocking someone means you’ll no longer see each other’s content or profile.
   
4. If you still feel good about it, confirm the block.
   

Change the Sounds You Hear by Resetting the “For You” Feed

If you can’t seem to get the noise under control on your “For You” TikTok feed, you have the option to reset your preferences in the algorithm. If the algorithm continues to suggest videos with sounds that you can’t stand, this can help clear the data that keeps bringing up this type of video.

Thankfully, TikTok introduced this feature at the request of many users.

1. Open TikTok and select your Profile tab.
   
2. Tap the menu button in the upper right-hand corner.
   
3. Select “Settings and Privacy.”
   
4. Tap on “Content Preferences” to edit them.
   
5. Select “Refresh Your For You Feed” and hit Continue.
   
6. Confirm the choice by tapping “Refresh.”
   

Now you’ve got a clean slate, and you can teach the TikTok algorithm what you like. Although TikTok has not revealed how the algorithm works, we know that it will suggest videos that are relevant to what you’ve enjoyed before. Spend some time watching and liking some of your very favorite content to reset your “For You” feed to things you enjoy.

Favoriting the Sounds You Like

Now that you know how to block sounds that you don’t like, it’s important to know how to save any sounds that intrigue you.

• When you watch a video and hear a song that you want to favorite, tap the circle icon at the bottom right of the screen. TikTok will display the name of the artist and the title of the song.
• Tap “Add to Favorites” to save the song under the “Sounds” menu.

Not only will you be able to navigate to your favorites to listen to them again, but you can also use them in your videos and projects by adding them from the “Favorites” menu.

How to Remove a Like from a Video

Part of rehabbing your feed and getting rid of troublesome sounds is to make sure your Likes are still relevant to you. If you’ve Liked a video and no longer want it to influence your feed, you can Unlike it. There are two ways to do this:

• While watching the video, tap the heart icon to remove the Like.
• Find the video in your liked videos and tap the heart icon to remove it.

Either of these actions will Unlike the video, and you will no longer find it in your list of Likes.

How to Remove a Video from Your Favorites List

In the same way, you may need to remove a video that was either accidentally placed in your Favorites list, or that you just no longer consider a Favorite. Fortunately, it’s a relatively simple process.

1. While the video is on your screen, tap the “Favorites” icon.
   
2. Tap “Remove from Favorites.”
   

There’s no limit to the number of times you can add and remove Favorites, so feel free to customize them as your interests change. Remember that other users can view your Likes, but they can’t view your Favorites.

FAQ

Why am I hearing unwanted sounds?

The “For You” feature on TikTok uses the videos you have previously watched or liked to customize suggested videos. Though TikTok has not released the specific details of how the algorithm works, it’s probably influenced by the number of videos you watch and the time you spend watching them. If you have spent some time enjoying a video with an annoying sound, that kind of video can be replicated in your “For You” feed.

Where are these unwanted sounds coming from?

There isn’t a foolproof way to block sounds you don’t like on TikTok, especially when a sound is trending, and TikTok is flooded with videos using that noise. These unwanted sounds are coming from the current popular trends on TikTok and the suggestions that TikTok has for you. Continue to tell TikTok that you’re not interested in these videos due to their sound, and they will decrease in frequency.

Are unwanted sounds a problem for the app?

No, the undesirable sounds you’re hearing aren’t a problem with the app. They’re just the background noises that users have added to their videos to attract attention from viewers.

Why do people add annoying sounds to their videos?

Many users on TikTok seek to be influencers and gain as many viewers as possible. Adding recognizable sounds is one way to garner attention from people scrolling through their feeds. Trending sounds are also popular even if they’re not pleasant to hear. It’s even possible that the person using the sound doesn’t find it annoying.

Blocking Sounds on TikTok

Technology is such a help … until it isn’t. When TikTok is suggesting videos that make you cringe, the good news is that you don’t have to keep listening to them with no hope of recourse. It’s refreshing to know that TikTok provides a way to keep frustrating sounds from filling your feed and blocking all the videos that you otherwise would be able to enjoy. You can block those troublesome sounds and videos until your feed is more to your liking. Once again, you’ll have a TikTok feed that is customized just for you.

Have you had to block sounds from TikTok? Tell us about your experience with blocking noise from TikTok in the comments below.