Periscope is a live streaming app that was developed by Twitter. It launched on iOS two months ago and has been a hit with celebrities and citizen journalists alike. In its first 10 days of operation it reached over 1 million users and now the app is available on Android.
The first iteration of the Periscope app for Android requires a fairly modern version of the OS. You need 4.4 in order to gain access to all of the features. The new app is also optimized for both smartphones and tablets.
When you install the app and register an account it will recommend recent broadcasts from people you are following. If you are new to the app Periscope will suggest you follow everyone you’re following on Twitter. If nothing current is happening, you can swipe right to the next screen, which shows you broadcasts happening around the world.
There are some features on this app that are not in the iOS version. Periscope on Android offers you a “Resume notification” so you can keep watching where you left off in case your broadcast gets interrupted (by a phone call or message. It also offers a material design for the app icon and notifications.
Why should you care about Periscope? It might be the next big streaming app since Vine. The platform is made by Twitter, so it immediately adds credibility. Even tech savvy authors such as Margaret Atwood are starting to embrace it.
You can download Periscope for Android for free, from the Good e-Reader App Store.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.