Livestreaming is a great way to connect with people online. They get to see the real you and interact in a way that posting to social media sites just doesn’t match up to. If you’re new to livestreaming, there are a lot of great apps that can get you started without much of a learning curve. Here are some of the best.
Instagram and Facebook are two of the most popular social media apps, which make them the perfect place to livestream. While Facebook is fine for livestreaming, Instagram is a lot less glitchy (Facebook tends to end your livestreams at random times), though which one you choose depends on where you have the most followers. Both allow you to save your livestream so you can post it on different social media accounts or on your website. Here’s how to livestream on Instagram and how to livestream on Facebook.
Periscope (Android, iOS) is dedicated solely to livestreaming and connecting with others who livestream. As with Facebook and Instagram, watchers can comment while you are livestreaming, but there is a twist. Fans can also tip you if they like your content with virtual coins called Super Hearts. Coins can be cashed out for real money or used to tip other livestreamers on the app.
There are other features that make this app useful, too. You can share Periscope videos to other social media platforms and broadcast to only a few of your followers, if you like. Fans who missed your livestream can see the best parts with a special feature called Replay Highlights. App users can also find local streams through a map search, which allows you to reach others in your area.
Like Periscope, the Livestream app (Android, iOS) is dedicated to creating and sharing livestream content. Videos you create are filmed and broadcast in HD and can be shared, live, on major social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter or on your website. One of the best features is that you can cast a livestream to your Chromecast, Roku, or Apple TV. You can also create livestreaming content with GoPro Hero cameras.
Bigo Live (Android, iOS) is an app more geared toward those who want a lot of features and flexibility. You can have public streams, private streams with certain people, or one-on-one streams. You can also create video blogs and join voice-only chat rooms. The app lets you make video and audio-only calls to up to nine people, too. The in-app currency lets you purchase badges and other fun stuff.
Want to become a serious livestreamer? Tango (Android, iOS) lets you create a community around your streams and earn money. You can collect in-game currency from other users and then cash it out for real money. A special feature that Tango has that many streaming apps overlook is the ability to customize your profile so you can stand out.
Instagram is testing a new format for long-form videos called Features. It allows select creators to upload horizontal videos running up to 90 minutes long. Instagram has already tested the new format with creators in Brazil, and now, it's expanding to tens of thousands of creators across the US.
How will Instagram's new Features format work?
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
I have lost count of how many times I have gone to bed thinking I will finally sleep on time, only to somehow end up scrolling Instagram or X again. A few minutes turn into an hour, then another, and before I notice, it is 2 or 3 a.m. The next morning, I am usually annoyed with myself because I could have just slept and felt considerably better for the day ahead.
It is also a surprisingly hard habit to beat. Knowing you should put the phone down does not always help once it is already in your hand. Brick Night is a new gadget built around that exact problem. Instead of relying on you to remember to turn on an app blocker, it automatically restricts selected apps and websites when your phone enters your chosen sleep space during the hours you set.