Twitter Inc announced on Wednesday that it would shut down live-streaming app Periscope next year. Periscope, which is available on both iOS and Android, was launched in 2015.
“Today, we’re sharing that we have made the difficult decision to discontinue Periscope as a separate mobile app by March 2021,” wrote Twitter on its ‘Farewell, Periscope’ blog post.
The mobile app, according to Twitter, is in an “unsustainable maintenance-mode state”.
Over the past couple of years, there has been a decline in the usage of the app, while to cost it needs to be operational continues to go up over time.
“We still believe in the power of live video to solve impactful problems, which is why we’ve brought most of the core capabilities of Periscope into Twitter.”
Periscope will be removed from the app stores by March 31, 2021, but no one will be able to create a new account in-app starting today. The broadcasts that were shared to Twitter will live on as replays, and all broadcasters will be able to download an archive of their Periscope vieos and data before the app is completely removed.
For Periscope users who have been striving to be part of the Super Broadcast program, Twitter said it is relaxing requirements, with cash out applications to be submitted no later than February 1, 2021 to facilitate processing and payment.
The Super Broadcaster program allows select users to share their star balance earned from Super Hearts for cash. ‘Hearts’ are a way for viewers of a certain broadcast to show support. If people like what they’re seeing on the video, they can easily tap the screen to give the broadcaster a heart on iOS or Android.
What are the available options for live broadcast on Twitter moving forward?
People can broadcast on Twitter using Twitter Live within compose by selecting the in-app camera icon. Additionally, brands, publishers and creators can go live on Twitter by using Media Studio.
People will also still be able to create broadcasts programmatically through the Periscope public API, which will also be migrating to the Twitter API in 2021.
How to start a live video on Twitter:
- Tap the icon from the composer.
- Tap Live at the bottom selector.
- To go live with audio but not video, tap the microphone at the top right. This will turn off the camera, and you’ll be heard by viewers, but not seen.
- Fill in an optional description that will appear as a Tweet, and a location if desired.
- To invite guests before going live, tap Invite guests to select or search for people to join your broadcast.
- Tap the profile icon of the guests you want to join.
- Tap Save.
- Tap Go live. Your live broadcast, with description and location, will appear in a Tweet in your follower’s timeline and on your profile.
How to end a live video:
You can end a live video at any time by pressing the Stop button on the top left and confirming your action in the menu that comes up.
