YouTube adds live streaming to mobile app

YouTube will literally put the power of live streaming in users’ hands as it adds live streaming to its mobile app in the coming weeks. In a statement on their blog YouTube wrote:

“YouTube mobile live streaming will be baked right into the core YouTube mobile app. You won’t need to open anything else, just hit the big red capture button right there in the corner, take or select a photo to use as a thumbnail, and you can broadcast live to your fans and chat in near real time.”

Users will have access to the same features regular uploads have, being able to search for and recommend them, and set privacy limits as well.

The statement had the remark “We’ve been offering live streaming on YouTube since 2011, before it was cool”. A shot at the likes of Facebook live and Twitter’s Periscope? But then again, why didn’t YouTube themselves make it bigger? The fact that they have built the live streaming facility right into the app might be a big win for them compared to others that require a third-party app/site. Their big red button for recording will be right in your face.

So far only a few people have access to this facility but it will roll out soon they say. They launched first with The Young Turks, AIB, Platica Polinesia, SacconeJolys, and Alex Wassabi at VidCon, with a sample UI shared as seen in the image above.