Facebook launches live video streaming

Facebook has started to test live video streaming in the US, allowing users to broadcast from their phone in real-time.

Facebook said it had rolled out the new feature to a “small percentage” of iPhone users based in the US, having first tested the feature with a handful of celebrities in the summer.

To share a live video, users can tap on their ‘Update Status’ and then select a new ‘Live Video’ icon. They will be able to see which of their friends are tuned in and the video will be saved to their Facebook Timeline once they have finished broadcasting.

“No matter where you are, Live lets you bring your friends and family right next to you to experience what’s happening together,” according to Facebook.

The social network also announced a new collage feature that will let users grouping photos and videos that were taken together on their phone into “a scrolling, moving collage”.

“As we were building Live we needed to reconsider the process of sharing from mobile devices. We are currently piloting a new design with a few people on iPhone and Android where they can now tap ‘What’s on your mind?’ at the top of News Feed to see a drop down menu of all the different options they can share. This will allow us to include new sharing features in the future,” said Facebook.

In August, Facebook first said it would let site users connect and interact with public figures via live video, with celebrities like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Serena Williams and Michael Bublé signing up for these early trials.