Periscope landed on Android as the app that brought the live video streaming to the general public from their mobile devices. This is the app that allows us to play on the Internet what we are recording with our smartphone. Created by integration with the social network Twitter and developed by Kayvon Beykpour and Joe Bernstein, became popular for its real-time interaction and its integration with the social network.
Periscope
Streaming, that's the key to PeriscopeUntil now we already had many platforms for watching videos that had been recorded by users, such as YouTube, for example. We also have platforms like Twitter, which allow us to stay up-to-date with news or topics that we can follow through hashtags. However, it was necessary to be able to combine these two things: the ability to communicate with other users live, but via video, and that's how Periscope came about, an application that allows users to stream what we're recording with our smartphones. From a sunset on a remote beach, to a launch event for a new smartphone, to the broadcast of a concert or a soccer match.
Now on Android with new functions
Until now, Periscope had arrived on iOS, but the truth is that the app had yet to land on Android. And that's when it did. Periscope was now officially available for Android and could be downloaded directly from Google Play. It also included some additional features that weren't present in the iOS version, such as resume streaming from where you left off in case you were interrupted by a call. It was also possible see when a user had started streaming. The app was free on Google Play so you could get started.
Google Play – Periscope.
How it worked and what it offered
Getting started with Periscope was as simple as pressing a button: one tap started the broadcast, and another tap switched between front and rear cameras. Viewers could comment live and send hearts as a “like”. It could also be discover popular broadcasts around the world, search by location or topic, and share the broadcast on Twitter or other networks.
- Privacy : public or private broadcasts for specific groups.
- Replays: Best moments available in featured replays.
- Notifications: Notifications when contacts started a live broadcast or when gaining new followers.
- Useful details: Visual warning if someone took a screenshot during the broadcast.
Performance, consumption and safety
- Start of broadcast: It could take a few seconds depending on the connection.
- Data and battery: Live video consumed significant bandwidth and power, especially without Wi-Fi.
- Geolocation: Location tag option to discover broadcasts by area, disableable for privacy.
- Moderation: possible presence of trolls; they could be block users individually during the broadcast.
Service status and official alternatives
Periscope said goodbye as a standalone app and its spirit was integrated into the feature twitter live, available from the official app for streaming and viewing videos. If you're looking for live streams today, Twitter/X, Instagram Live, YouTube Live, and Facebook solutions cover that use case with similar instant interaction experiences.
Don't confuse it with random chat apps.
There are applications with similar names, such as certain tools for random video chat that allow two-step registration, matching by location, gender and interests, dynamic stickers and audio/video calls to meet people. They are not the Periscope of Twitter They don't offer public broadcasts, but rather one-on-one meetings or meetings by audience segment; they often hide personal information by default and make it easy to say hello and jump to the next contact with simple gestures.
Periscope marked a before and after in mobile streaming by uniting immediacy, conversation, and discovery. Although its platform evolved within Twitter, its ideas live on in today's social media.
