TikTok Pro brings ad-free charity-focused experience to Europe
Has TikTok made a nicer, more positive version of its app? Sort of, but also sort of not.
TikTok has launched a new version of its platform called TikTok Pro, seemingly designed to highlight the more positive side of short-form content. The app is now available in Germany, Portugal, and soon in Spain, with more countries expected to follow.
What sets TikTok Pro apart? It features the same entertaining and educational content users are familiar with, but removes many of the extra layers – no ads, no live streams, and no in-app shopping. The aim is to offer a simpler, more focused experience for users who may not have experienced the main app before.
According to TikTok, the new app “allows people to experience and engage with joyful and entertaining content.” Although it may seem like a rebrand toward positivity, TikTok has clarified that the content itself isn’t any different to the content on the main platform. It’s the user experience that’s been streamlined.
One of the standout features of TikTok Pro is the launch of the Sunshine Programme, a pilot initiative that gives users the chance to support charities through digital interaction.
As explained in TikTok’s announcement, users can earn virtual ‘Sunshine’ by completing small actions in the app:
- Referring friends to download TikTok Pro
- Liking or reposting videos from registered charities
- Following charity accounts
- Searching for charity-related content
This Sunshine can then be directed to a charity partner, triggering real-life donations from TikTok itself. “Users can accumulate ‘virtual Sunshine’ by referring others to join and by engaging with content from charities,” TikTok said. “People can then use that virtual Sunshine on a charity in the programme, and TikTok will make a donation to that charity.”
The programme is kicking off with a range of respected organisations including:
- Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
- WaterAid
- Aktion Deutschland Hilft
- NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union)
These partnerships help connect social engagement with tangible real-world impact.
WaterAid’s Executive Director of Communications and Fundraising, Jennie York, shared: “We’re excited to be partnering with TikTok’s Sunshine Programme, turning digital engagement into real-world impact.”
Thilo Reichenbach of Aktion Deutschland Hilft added: “The TikTok community can direct earned Sunshine towards urgent help for people in need.”
And from NABU, Bettina Dlubek noted: “Every like, search, or follow generates real funding for conservation.”
TikTok has confirmed that Pro users will have access to the same safety, privacy, and content controls as in the standard app. The Sunshine Programme is only available to users over the age of 18, and only specific actions that count towards donations are clearly listed and tracked by TikTok.
As Social Media Today points out, this launch also arrives at a time when TikTok is under increased regulatory scrutiny in the EU, especially around its influence on young people and algorithmic transparency. TikTok Pro may help position the company as more socially conscious and responsive to these concerns.