How To Use TikTok’s Voice Filters To Sound Like A Cat, Robot, & More

From the dog ears on Snapchat in 2016 to the character generators used for the soap opera challenge, filters have been a staple in online culture for years. Whether we like it or not, features on social media that allow users to change their appearance in both subtle and obvious ways are common practice, and now TikTok has stepped it up a notch by creating a voice filter so you can sound different too.

Harmless pranks are a common genre when it comes to TikTok content and the voice filter is making it even easier to play a trick on your friends and family for viral potential. With 17 different voices to choose from, users can alter their voice to sound deeper or higher. Other voice effects include synth, megaphone, chipmunk, and a filter that makes actual words sound like a cat’s meow. You can even choose Jessie, which is the Siri-like voice often used for TikTok voiceovers.

This new TikTok feature debuted in late October 2022 and is already taking over FYPs. The tag #voicefilter has 148.2 million views on the app and other searches like “voice filter tutorial,” “voice filter not working,” and “voice filter effect” populate when you search the tag itself.

So how exactly do voice filters work? They’re not as intuitive as classic video filters, so here’s everything you need to know about how to change your voice on TikTok.

How To Use Voice Filters On TikTok

User @savannanoell made a video tutorial showing how to use voice filters that has over 105,000 likes — so it’s safe to assume many users have been a little confused since the update came out. First, you’ll want to record your video straight through instead of in parts for the filter to work for the entire video. Record your video as you normally would by pressing the plus sign button in the middle of the default TikTok screen and then holding down the big red recording button. Once you’ve recorded what you want, press the check mark button to be taken to the editing screen.

From there, click the circular button with three dots on it to get audio effects like noise reducer and audio editing. For voice filters, choose audio editing and you’ll see all of the different voices to choose from, go ahead and click one for your TikTok to be complete and ready to post.

Why Aren’t Voice Filters Showing Up On TikTok?

If you follow all of the above steps and still can’t find voice filters on your account, you may need to update your app. To do so, head to the app store, tap the profile icon at the top of the screen, and scroll to see which apps need updating. Click on the update button next to TikTok, wait for it to do its thing, and then when you reopen the app you should be able to add any voice filter you please. I suggest testing it out on one of your pets first because TikTok users have found out the filters work on animals and the resulting videos are absolutely hilarious.