It has been a while since Instagram allowed its users to go live and share the video on its platform. However, in order to give more options to its users, Instagram users can now send live videos to friends in Direct Messages. As a part of Instagram version 26, the update is available on the Apple App Store and on Google Play. People can send their own live video or a live video that they’re watching, to a friend or a group of friends. This does come as a breather for people who want to go live but for a restricted audience.
In a blog post. Instagram wrote, “When you’re live, just tap the Direct icon at the bottom of the screen and send your live video to friends. You’ll also have this option when going live with a friend. Once sent, the recipient will see your live video in their Direct inbox. Friends can only view your video if you’re currently live. If your live video is over, your friend will see a message saying the video has ended”.
Although, Instagram users can disable the option to send the live videos in Direct messages under their Stories settings. People with a private Instagram account can stream live video but that will only appear to their followers and not everyone. Users also have an option to send live video of friends to their other friends. To send video privately to someone you need to tap the Direct icon at the bottom of the screen and select who a friend to send it to.
It was November 2016 when Instagram introduced live video for its users. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook recently rolled out a new feature which enables users to broadcast simultaneously with a friend. Users can also remove their guest and add someone else at any time. They can also choose to exit on their own.
Meanwhile, recently Instagram implemented searching hashtags and staying connected with hobbies, passions, and communities. On December 16, the social media platform launched this feature. The Instagram blog post read, “Everyday, millions of people share photos and videos and tag them with relevant hashtags. Hashtags represent the many interests and passions of our community. To make these posts even more discoverable, we’re introducing hashtags you can follow”.
