TikTok’s video keyword filtering allows you to control the content you see in your feed. By adding keywords to your filters list, TikTok will block videos containing those words from appearing in your “For You” and “Following” feeds.
However, sometimes users run into issues where added filters don’t seem to work properly. Videos with filtered keywords still show up.
If you’re facing this frustrating problem, don’t worry – it can be easily fixed in most cases. This guide will walk you through the top troubleshooting tips for resolving TikTok filter keyword problems.
Reasons Why TikTok Video Filters May Not Be Working
Before diving into solutions, let’s first understand why this issue happens in the first place. There are a few possible reasons your TikTok video keyword filters aren’t properly blocking content:
Unstable Internet Connection
Like most apps, TikTok requires a stable internet connection to function properly. If your connection drops while adding filters, they may not get applied correctly. Ongoing connectivity issues could also disrupt existing filters.
Incorrect Keyword Entry
Typos or incorrect spellings when adding filtered keywords can prevent TikTok from recognizing what you want to block. For example, filtering “cat” instead of “cat” would not filter cat videos.
TikTok’s Blocked Keyword List
TikTok maintains a list of keywords that cannot be filtered, likely including common words or phrases prone to censorship issues. If you attempt to block words on this list, the filters will not take effect.
Failure to Mind Keyword Variations
You need to add filters for all variations of a word for the blocking to be comprehensive. For example, filtering “dog” would not block the plural “dogs.”
Outdated App Version
Like any app, TikTok regularly releases updates to fix bugs and improve features. If your TikTok app is outdated, keyword filtering issues caused by previous versions might persist.
Temporary Software Glitches
Sometimes just restarting an app or device can clear up temporary glitches preventing things from working correctly.
Excess App Cache/Data
Over time, cached data and account info can build up and cause performance issues that disrupt features like keyword filtering.
Account Flags or Bans
If your TikTok account has been flagged or banned, the platform may restrict access to certain features like video keyword filters.
Fixes for TikTok Keyword Filters Not Working
Now that you know what’s going wrong, here is a detailed troubleshooting guide to get keyword filtering working properly again:
1. Check Your Internet Connection
The first step is ensuring you have a stable internet connection on your TikTok device.
- Run a speed test to check connectivity strength. Consistent speeds above 5-10 Mbps are ideal.
- If speeds are lower, move closer to your WiFi router or switch to cellular data.
- Try loading multiple internet pages/apps to confirm issues are isolated to TikTok.
If fixing connectivity doesn’t resolve keyword filter problems, move onto the next steps.
2. Confirm Keyword Filters Are Entered Correctly
Double and triple-check that the keyword filters you added under Settings and privacy > Content Preferences > Filter video keywords match exactly what you want to block and don’t have any typos.
- For each problematic filter, tap the “Delete” icon to remove it.
- Then re-type the exact keyword and confirm it looks right.
- Finish by tapping Save to re-add the corrected filter.
This ensures any minor text errors aren’t preventing your filters from working.
3. Mind Keyword Variations
In order for video keyword blocking to be comprehensive, your filter list needs to include all variations of each word.
For example, filtering only the singular “dog” would NOT also block the plural “dogs” or related terms like “puppy.”
To fix this:
- Delete your original keyword filter
- Brainstorm all possible variations of that keyword
- Add filters for each unique variation
Doing this for all your desired filters ensures no videos slip through due to variation technicalities.
4. Check for TikTok App Updates
Go to your device’s app store to confirm you have the latest version of TikTok installed. Older versions are more likely to have unpatched bugs affecting filters.
The easiest way to check for TikTok updates is:
iPhone:
- Open the App Store app.
- Tap on your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Scroll down and look for TikTok.
- If there’s an update available, you’ll see an Update button next to it. Tap that button to start the update.
Android:
- Open the Google Play Store app.
- Tap on the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top left corner.
- Select My apps & games.
- Look for TikTok in the list and tap on it.
- If an update is available, you’ll see an Update button. Tap that button to start the update.
Install any available TikTok app updates. This could instantly fix your keywords filter issues.
5. Force Close and Reopen the TikTok App
Sometimes simply restarting apps can resolve temporary glitches with features like filters. To force close TikTok on iOS or Android:
- Double tap the Home button to open the multitasking view
- Locate the TikTok preview window and swipe up to close
- Tap the TikTok icon to relaunch the freshly closed app
- Retry adding video keyword filters
If they now work, then the issues were likely caused by a minor software malfunction that merely required an app reset.
6. Restart Your Mobile Device
If force closing TikTok doesn’t work, the next troubleshooting step is performing a full device reboot:
- iPhone: Hold either the side button + volume down simultaneously until powered off
- Android: Hold down the power button in the menu that appears, tap Restart
Allow 1-2 minutes for your phone to restart. This clears out system memory and resets everything back to a clean state. Open TikTok again once booted up to see if this resolved the filtered keywords problems.
7. Clear the TikTok App Cache
Over time, cached data stored by the TikTok app can build up and cause performance issues. Deleting this excess cache requires:
To clear cache on the TikTok app:
- Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page.
- Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings and privacy.”
- Scroll down to the “Cache & Cellular” section and tap “Free up space.”
- You’ll see the amount of data used by the “Cache.” Tap Clear next to it.
- Confirm by tapping Clear again in the pop-up window.
Clearing the cache forces the TikTok app to rebuild those temporary files from scratch. Retry adding video keyword filters to see if this fix worked.
8. Check Your TikTok Account Status
In rare cases, keyword filtering issues may stem from restrictions on your TikTok account itself preventing access to certain features.
Head to your profile and look for any banners/popups indicating your account is suspended, banned, or otherwise limited. If present, tap the on-screen instructions for resolving this account limitation before filter troubleshooting further.
If your account has been temporarily banned, your keyword filters may not work until you regain access. Check out this guide to learn how to recover a temporarily banned TikTok account. Once your access is restored, the filtering issues should hopefully resolve as well.
9. Report the Issue to TikTok Directly
If you still cannot get video keyword filters working properly after exhausting all other troubleshooting, get TikTok’s Support team involved:
- Open TikTok > Tap Profile Picture > Settings & Privacy > Report a Problem.
- Select the issue type that best matches your filter problem
- Fill out details on when issue started, steps taken, and specific filters not working
- Optionally, include screenshots and username for better support
- Submit the report to send info directly to TikTok for additional troubleshooting
Hopefully TikTok Support can resolve what is preventing your account from properly filtering video keywords.
While waiting for their response, you can also try reaching out on TikTok’s Facebook (@TikTok) or Twitter (@TikTokComms) pages for more visibility.
Be sure to also let them know all the troubleshooting steps you’ve already tried, to avoid repeat suggestions.
Conclusion
Dealing with keyword filters failing can certainly be frustrating. But don’t abandon hope! As you can see, this guide provides over a dozen different troubleshooting tactics to attempt.
Hopefully, systematically working through them step-by-step will uncover what’s preventing TikTok from respecting your video blocking efforts and get it fixed ASAP!
Let me know in the comments if any of these tips did the trick or if you have something else that worked.
