The social network revealed its plans in January 2019 to integrate the messaging infrastructure of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

A Facebook spokesperson said Monday, “A small set of people were able to update to a new test experience for Instagram messaging. We hope they enjoy the experience and we are looking forward to testing it in other countries so we can keep learning from this.”

Matt Southern from Search Engine Journal reported that Instagram users in the test group are seeing a popup that reads, “There’s a New Way to Message on Instagram” and outlines benefits of combining the two messaging platforms, including more colorful chats, reacting with any emoji, swiping to reply to messages and chatting with friends who use Facebook.

Southern reported that the new option changes the entire look and feel of the Instagram Direct inbox, making it much more like Messenger From Facebook, and even adding the Messenger icon to the top-right corner of the screen.

Instagram users can only communicate with Facebook users if the latter initiate the conversations, according to Southern.

Under the terms of the deal, UnitedMasters will become the first music-distribution company to be integrated into the TikTok application, and TikTok users will be able to distribute music from UnitedMasters to other streaming platforms.

Music from TikTok creators who join UnitedMasters can be added to TikTok’s commercial music library, with the permission of the creators, and businesses can then tap into those tracks and sounds for use in their content.

TikTok and UnitedMasters will also team up to promote key artists on the TikTok platform.

TikTok said in a blog post that artists such as BMW Kenny, Breland, Curtis Roach, Tai Verdes and Curtis Waters used its platform to promote their music and jump-start their careers, while artists including Avenue Beat and Ppcocain preview original music directly on TikTok, and emerging artists such as Blu DeTiger, Kid Sistr and Shuba use the app as a platform for creative performances.

Meanwhile, UnitedMasters artists that have seen success on TikTok include BMW Kenny, NLE Choppa and Tobe Nwigwe.

TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer said in the blog post, “Creators are the beating heart of the TikTok community, often inspired by the artists who bring their music to the platform, and providing a haven for them to thrive is key to our mission. The new partnership with UnitedMasters makes it even easier for musicians and creators to reach new fans and earn a living doing what they love, directly from the platform.”

Global head of music Ole Obermann added, “TikTok artists who are creating music in their bedrooms today will be featured in the Billboard charts tomorrow. Our mission is to help those artists achieve their creative potential and success. This partnership with UnitedMasters gives us a turnkey solution to help artists who are born on TikTok to reach their fans on every music service.”

And UnitedMasters founder and CEO Steve Stoute said, “If you are a musical artist, TikTok is the best place for your music to go viral, and UnitedMasters is the best place to sustain it while retaining full ownership of your work. By combining the two, we create the platform for tomorrow’s stars who will be famous, fiercely independent and wealthy.”

Note: These screenshots were captured in the Instagram application on iOS.

Step 1: On the Instagram Stories Camera, swipe from right to left on the words at the bottom of the screen to move to the Reels camera.

Step 2: Tap the Audio icon (the music note) on the left side of the screen.

Step 3: Tap a song to add it to your clip. Note: You can tap the play button to the right of any song to preview it. You can also tap the “Browse” tab to view different songs. Finally, you can tap the search bar at the top of the screen to search for a song manually.

Step 4: Drag the slider to choose where you want the song to start as you record, and then tap “Done” in the top-right corner of the screen. Note: When you drag the slider and then remove your finger, you’ll hear a preview of your selection.

Step 5: Tap the capture button at the bottom of the screen to record your clip with the song playing.

A special edition of El Break de las 7, which wrapped a 53-show first season on Facebook Watch July 30, will be livestreamed exclusively on TikTok at 7 p.m. ET Thursday, representing that platform’s first live preshow.

The Premios Juventud special edition of El Break de las 7 on TikTok will be hosted by TikTok influencer Johann Vera and include two award presentations, as well as interviews with the event’s hosts, celebrity presenters and performers.

There will be dedicated segments to the nominees, the performances of the night and fashion, and the show will be produced in a vertical format to lend itself to TikTok’s platform.

Univision kicked off the first-ever bilingual hashtag challenge on TikTok last month, as well as the first by a Spanish-language television network, to back Premios Juventud.

One-hour preshow PJ Takeover will air on Univision at 7 p.m., hosted by Jomari Goyso, Amara La Negra and Clarissa Molina.

The three-hour main event will be hosted by Ana Patricia Gámez, Francisca Lachapel and Borja Voces. In addition to performances from hot stars and emerging talent, the Agents of Change award will honor everyday heroes of the pandemic and people leading social change.

TikTok U.S. general manager Vanessa Pappas said in a blog post Monday that over the next three years, the fund will support thousands of creators and grow to $1 billion in the U.S. and more than double that figure worldwide.

She wrote, “Each of these creators has shown what it means to be your authentic self, bring joy and inspiration to people and creatively connect with an audience. TikTok would not be the vibrant community that it is today without creators like these, some of whom have only been on the platform a few months and others who have been with us from the beginning. From redefining a category to venturing into uncharted waters, these creators are a huge part of TikTok, and we’re grateful for their ingenuity and creative spirit.”

Creators 18 and older who have at least 10,000 followers, have tallied at least 10,000 video views in the past 30 days and conform with the video-creation platform’s community guidelines will be able to apply directly via the TikTok application starting in mid-August.

The first recipients, with details from Pappas’ blog post, are:

• @lgndfrvr: Justice Alexander has a passion for entertaining those around him and putting smiles on their faces with his comedic and family-friendly approach. Better known as LGND, he is based in Los Angeles and is known as one of the top Latino creators on the platform.
• @doctor.jesss: Jess Andrade is a pediatric resident who wants to make healthcare and health-related information accessible to all. Many of her videos show a day in the life of her as a doctor or give helpful information about hot topics in healthcare.
• @onlyjayus: Isabella Avila recently graduated with a degree in computer science and math and moved to Los Angeles to take her creator career to the next level and pursue it as a full time job. Her videos surrounding facts and psychology erupted on the platform, and she was one of the inaugural 2020 LGBTQI+ TikTok Trailblazers.
• @acooknamedmatt: Matt Broussard is a Seattle Zagat 30 under 30-awarded chef who shares his passion for cooking through his video creation and pop up dinners. Matt educates people on how to make his favorite recipes, in addition to showing off his impressive knife-cutting skills.
• @daviddobrik: David Dobrik is a digital entertainment personality known for his high-energy videos consisting of pranks, cute animals and fun with friends. His humorous and entertaining content has amassed more than 20 million followers.
• @lifeofadoctor: Dr. Fayez, a healthcare professional, has quickly gained over 500,000 followers since starting his TikTok journey in the fall of 2019. Many of his videos depict him myth-busting common misconceptions within healthcare or giving his audience a glimpse on his everyday life as a doctor.
• @avani: Avani Gregg, passionate about beauty and makeup, has built a following of nearly 24 million followers who love her makeup tutorials. Avani brings characters she’s sketched in books to life, using colorful palettes and unusual techniques. As she continues to build a career as a creator, she is also exploring her interests in fashion, dancing and acting.
• @mattgresia: Matt Gresia is an entrepreneur and business guru. He uses topics that followers would find relatable for his entertaining “Did You Know” and informational videos.
• @feelgoodfoodie: Yumna Jawad joined TikTok by word-of-mouth from her close-knit food community. She believes food shouldn’t only taste good, it should make you feel good. Yumna food vlogs on TikTok.
• @dreadknotwoodshop: Darryl Jones is a woodturner from Deltona, Fla., and the founder of Dread Knot Woodshop. He teaches classes in-person and online and appears at trade shows. Show cancellations due to the pandemic have heavily affected his business. The silver lining has been being able to continue to bring his work to people through TikTok.
• @spencerx: Spencer Polanco Knight is a Beatbox artist from Manhattan whose growth on TikTok over the past year has been explosive, receiving support from almost 40 million followers. Spencer is particularly passionate about spreading awareness of beatboxing as a mainstream music medium.
• @justmaiko: Originally a dancer and now a full -time creator, Michael Le is widely known in the TikTok community for starting trends and creating memorable choreography. He recently hit 35 million followers and is continuing to grow with his fun and exciting dance content.
• @heyeliza: Chance Moore and Kate Hudson are parents to Eliza, an amazing and beautiful 10-month-old girl battling cancer. Chance and Kate share videos about their lives as a family dealing with a very tough situation. Their videos of family positivity and optimism have amassed nearly 3 million followers.
• @marstruck: As a proud Asian American, Marissa Ren uses her platform to educate viewers about Asian influences on global fashion, while also sharing videos about her current favorite fashion trends.
• @rosssmith: Ross Smith is a veteran digital entertainment personality from Westerville, Ohio, known for his hilarious videos filmed with his Granny. The iconic duo never fails to entertain their loyal follower base with original skits and comical pranks. Ross has been an active creator on TikTok for several years and is continuing to grow every day.
• @alex.stemp: Alex Stemplewski is a Los Angeles photographer best known for his impromptu public photoshoots. Many of his videos depict him approaching a stranger in public and offering to photograph their portraits in unique ways, which he shares with them and in his videos.
• @brittany_broski: Brittany Tomlinson is an iconic example of a TikTok creator success story. Initially known as “Kombucha Girl” for the viral video of her trying kombucha for the first time, Brittany has grown her platform on TikTok to 5 million loyal followers over the course of the past year.
• @cheyennejazwise: Cheyenne Jaz Wise, a cosplay creator from Las Vegas, is currently on furlough, due to Covid-19, from one of her seamstress jobs and children’s theater program. She has turned to TikTok to share her passion for sewing creative costumes.
• @tonyyounmd: Dr. Anthony Youn is a board-certified plastic surgeon known as “America’s Holistic Plastic Surgeon.” Tony uses his TikTok presence to educate people about holistic beauty and empowers them to look and feel the best version of themselves.