Twitter has finally brought Periscope (its live video streaming app) to the Android platform after two month of launching
it to iOS. It is similar to its iOS counterpart but comes with minor Android-specific changes. With the move, the
company also catches up with rival live-broadcast app, Meerkat.Broadcasting method is the major difference between the iOS and Android versions of Periscope.
iOS users : broadcast a video using the central tab.
Android users : using a floating button at the bottom right.
The app also includes some Android-specific features. So Android users would have more control over the Periscope like they can now control push notifications whenever a followed user broadcasts for the first time, shares a broadcast, or when a user follows them. However, these notification controls will affect all followers, and cannot be tuned for individual followers. Also, the app lets users return to a broadcast via a banner in the notification drawer in case they wander away to another app in between. Periscope also notes that on the Android version, replays are saved without requiring the broadcaster to upload a file - helping save time time and mobile data.
The Periscope team said in a blog post on Android launch and the reasons for the delay, :
"As a small startup, our initial launch was limited to just iOS, but we've been working really hard to craft an experience that feels special on Android, yet still unmistakably Periscope." Interestingly, this statement was made despite the clout of the Twitter behind the firm, which acquired the startup back in January. Periscope earlier in May also made it possible to sign-up without a Twitter account, allowing users to utilise their phone numbers instead.
Periscope, available to download from Google Play, weighs 8.1MB and is compatible with devices running Android 4.4 KitKat and later versions. It is worth noting that Periscope's rival app, Meerkat, which also debuted on iOS first, reached Android on April 15, more than a month before. The app earlier this month left its public beta version on Android and was updated to version 1.0.
