Meerkat Lets You Livestream Videos Over Twitter
With the rise of personal action cameras and, soon, VR headsets, livestreaming is taking a huge leap forward. We already have a lot of such platforms available, serving different needs, like Twitch and, of course, YouTube. But what if you wanted something a bit simpler, but also something that is as easily accessible as, say, your tweets? That is exactly what Meerkat is trying to offer. Users can simply start live streaming footage from their iPhone or iPad and broadcast it to their Twitter followers and for the whole world.
Meerkat is genius in its simplicity. Simply tap "Stream" and off you go. Your Twitter followers will see your activity and they can watch from wherever they are. Plus, any of them who also have the Meerkat app installed can do more than just watch. They can comment and create discussions, all of which take place on Twitter. It's as simple as that.
Of course, there is a fine print. Unlike Twitch or YouTube, Meerkat livestreaming is live only. That is, once the streaming is over, the video disappears from the web. You can save a local copy on your mobile device, but Meerkat claims it does not keep any copy for itself, which should quell privacy worries, depending on how much trust you ascribe to the people behind the service. Those watching you, which are your direct followers, can retweet the livestream to their own followers, which practically means your video can go beyond the limited scope you might have initially intended, so be aware of this "feature".
Meerkat is available on both iOS and Android, but on Android, the app can only be used as a viewer and can't start livestream yet. Full functionality is offered on iPhones and iPads but they must be running at least iOS 8.
The service is interesting for its convenience but, in the end, it is using Twitter as the vehicle for spreading the word. We can only presume that something like it doesn't go against Twitter's policies, or Meerkat will be a very short-lived idea.