X live video is now available inside the Spaces feature. Previously, the group chat feature only supported live audio.
However, the feature is somewhat different from the Periscope service which Twitter bought and later replaced with an integrated live video broadcast, and bears more of a resemblance to Twitch …
The discontinued Periscope app
Periscope was a one-way live video broadcast, enabling anyone to use their smartphone to capture live video and broadcast it to Twitter users.
Viewers could respond with either chat messages or hearts, making it essentially a broadcast medium with comments.
Videos could be watched after the livestream ended.
After being acquired by Twitter, the service was discontinued in 2021, with the company giving its reasons as a mix of declining usage and high operating costs.
X live video
The ability to broadcast live video was later integrated into X itself:
- Hit the + button for a new post
- Tap the camera icon
- Select Live
- Tap the Go LIVE button to begin streaming
This operates very much like Periscope, with viewers limited to text comments and hearts.
X live video in Spaces
The company now offers a new option, called Video Spaces, which works like the live audio feature in Spaces. This allows full video interactivity between host and audience.
DogeDesigner tweeted an animated GIF with instructions, which was then retweeted by X owner Elon Musk.
- Long-press the + button to see options
- Select the Spaces icon (purple microphone with + sign)
- Select the Enable Video option when beginning the session
The Verge reports that this currently appears to be exclusive to the iOS app.
Video Spaces are available on the iOS version of the X app, but we haven’t seen them available on Android or the web yet.
The site notes that the new feature is similar to Twitch, but does allow video interaction.
A typical Spaces with video session prominently features the host’s video feed, which is surrounded by the smaller icons of any other speakers, co-hosts, or listeners in the room. It’s not exactly like Twitch since anyone you give permission to can speak back to you, but it does turn the host into the main event in a similar fashion.
Photo by Malte Helmhold on Unsplash
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