TikTok continues to rapidly build on its platform and tools, as it looks to capitalize on its current opportunity, and solidify its place as a key platform within the broader social media space.

The platform's latest development on this front comes in the form of its own AR effects studio, which, like Facebook and Snapchat, would enable AR creators to build their own effects for the platform, expanding its pool of creative, interactive user options.

As you can see in this tweet, shared by social media expert Matt Navarra (via Sam Schmir), TikTok's new 'Effect House' is currently open to selected developers as part of initial testing of the tool.

TikTok has confirmed to TechCrunch that the new platform launched earlier in the month, though it's still in its early stages, and is not open for general access as yet. But eventually, the plan would be to open its Effects House platform to all creators, like Facebook's Spark AR platform and Snapchat's Lens Studio, providing more capacity for people to build their own visual effects, utilizing TikTok's various AR functions to create whole new user experiences within the app.

Which makes perfect sense. By opening up the tools to more creators, you stand a far better chance of coming across the next big viral trend, which will bring even more users to the app. Limiting that creative capacity to your internal teams restricts your general development options in this respect, and as TikTok looks to provide a more inclusive platform for creators, so that they can monetize their work, and build more reliance on the app, this is another key step in strengthening those connections.

And facilitating effects creation can definitely be a powerful driver of in-app engagement. Last September, Facebook reported that more than 400,000 AR creators had published over 1.2 million effects on Facebook and Instagram via its Spark platform, with many of those effects seeing more than a billion views. Snapchat, meanwhile, says that more than 200,000 creators have built over 2 million new Lenses in Snapchat's Lens Studio, which have also helped drive massive engagement in its app.

Given the numbers, it seems like a logical progression for TikTok to move towards the same, which could open up a range of new opportunities to build new experiences, and keep more TikTok users in-app for even longer, as it expands further in the space. 

We'll keep you updated on any progress on this front.