Johannesburg - Social media giant Instagram is continuing to improve its live video experience, as the company has announced multiple small changes to its platform. The biggest update is that live streamers are no longer limited to a timeframe of 60 minutes.
The photo and video sharing platform has taken several steps in making the life of creators on the platform easier during the Covid-19 pandemic by extending the time limit to four hours. The extended timeframe will be available to all Instagram users globally, as long as you do not have a history of IP or policy violations.
The company said part of the reason they decided to extend the live streams was to help creators such as yoga instructors, musicians, artists and cooks do longer sessions with their audience without being interrupted every hour.
The timing is perfect for Instagram to extend the timeframe for live streams because at the moment people around the world are still concerned about the second wave of the Covid-19 which will restrict them on going to the gym, cooking classes and even concerts.
Instagram will also be adding the option to archive your live streams for 30 days after they air, similar to those of Stories and Posts. Users can then choose to download the content and post it elsewhere.
"Now your live videos will be kept in your archive. Only you can see them. After your live videos end, they will be available in your archive for 30 days. You can download your live videos to your device or upload them to IGTV from your archive," reads a notice that will be shown to users when opening the live stream.
Finally, the company will be adding the ‘Live Now’ section on IGTV where users will find content to watch live at that very moment. Instagram hopes that this section will provide users with more content that will interest them.
According to The Verge, Instagram hopes that live videos will keep people in the app for longer, especially when there are lots of platforms for people to choose from when they go live, but the company is trying to make itself competitive.
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