Live streaming apps allow you to stream your live stream and tune in to what others are streaming all over the world. These days, a lot of companies – including tech giants Facebook and Twitter, are investing in developing their live streaming platform. Indeed, live streaming platforms can help people and brands connect with their friends or followers in real time. Meerkat, a live streaming app, took the web by storm when it launched in 2015, but was shut down shortly after a year. This has left a void in this segment, which, in turn, is leading to stiff competition in the mobile space for a live streaming platform. Therefore, there are plenty of viable alternatives available today. Today, I'm going to give an overview of the 10 Best Streaming Apps For Android:
1. Periscope
Periscope is Twitter's take on the live streaming platform. Periscope allows you to stream video either to a selective group of people or publicly. You can share the link to broadcast on Twitter, Facebook or other social networks. It makes it very easy to discover live stream trends by listing them on a map. It has live 360 degree videos, but the 360 degree video stream option is available for selected partners only from now. While you can't create and stream a 360-degree video right now, you can certainly watch one of those on your phone.
After the live broadcast ends, it allows you to view the faits saillants of live streaming, so people who missed can easily catch up. You can also see other stats like live viewers, replay viewers, total time watched, etc. Finally, it also has a web-based interface you can access. Overall, Periscope is one of the best live streaming apps right now And if you're an avid Twitter user, you shouldn't even give a second thought and download Periscope right away.
Download : (free)
2. Live.ly
Launched in 2016, Live.ly is brought to you by the same guys behind the popular Musical.ly app. It allows you to broadcast your life live as it happens and allows you to view live streams across the world. While watching a live stream, it allows you to send love and join the conversation by posting comments. You can even send them gift points, which you can buy with real money.
It has a daily leaderboard which sorts the strings by the number of love received or by major contributors. You can browse profiles, follow them and see the number of emoji-love received. It also connects to your Musical.ly account and displays your Musical.ly posts on your profile page. You can find friends using their username or using your phone contacts. Overall, I find the Live.ly community to be decent and a viable way to live stream from your Android device.
Download : (free, with in-app purchases)
3. YouNow
Younow allows you to broadcast your live video and discover live streams from anywhere in the world. You can interact with broadcasters by liking and commenting on their live streams. It supports some sticky comments because you know, a picture is worth a thousand words! Additionally, the app allows you to share broadcast to Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Snapchat.
La discovery section allows you to discover main broadcasters, fans, moment makers in the community. Additionally, there is an option to add a hashtag to your show, in a way that helps people find out. You can also share specific moments from a show to your profile. There's even a web interface so you can watch live streams in the browser when you don't have a phone nearby.
Download : (free, with in-app purchases)
4. Streamago
Streamago allows you to stream live video either by private to your Facebook friends or publicly. While watching a live stream, it allows you to favorite, add comment and send them virtual gifts using, you know again, real money. The leaderboard feature helps discover the most popular and trending shows. You can share the live stream link on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp etc.
Le replay feature comes in handy as it allows you to replay a live stream after it has finished. You can also follow people so you don't miss out on their next show. While you are streaming, you can select the streaming quality is low, medium or high.
Download : (free, with in-app purchases)
5. Stream – Live Video Community
Stream is yet another live video community that focuses on user experience. You can discover trending shows, shows with the most people, or better yet, choose from hand-picked staff recommendations. You can strike up a conversation with anyone you find and import contacts from your Facebook or Twitter, if you wish. You can like and comment on the live stream, and take it a step further and donate Stream coins to your favorite broadcasters. Another great feature of Stream is that – in addition to home video, it can also screencast your android device and broadcast from external devices like GoPro 4+ and iVue Horizon pro glasses.
As already mentioned, in addition to an impressive community, Stream places special emphasis on the user experience. A great example is a switch to toggle dark mode, so all you night owls out there can rejoice! The Stream is, without a doubt, one of the best streaming apps available for Android right now.
Download : (free, with in-app purchases)
6.Facebook Live
Facebook had been testing Facebook Live in a separate app dubbed as Legal, and after extensive testing, has available to the application regular Facebook. Zuck says it's a whole new way to communicate and while Facebook certainly isn't the first in this area, unlike other apps, it has a significant advantage of a huge user base.
Facebook had been testing Facebook Live in a separate app dubbed as Legal, and after extensive testing, has available to the application regular Facebook. Zuck says it's a whole new way to communicate and while Facebook certainly isn't the first in this area, unlike other apps, it has a significant advantage of a huge user base.
Apart from personal profiles, Facebook live is also enabled for groups and events, so you can selectively broadcast to the population in a particular group. To start a live broadcast, open the Facebook app on Android/iOS and tap where you want to write a status update. (It's 'What's on your mind' usually, but can be different sometimes). Next, describe your live video and click on the option Go Live. Facile, no?
Download : (free, with ads)
7. Instagram Live Stories
Instagram launched the Living Stories feature at the end of 2016, but it was only this year that it saw a global rollout. The Live Stories feature is baked into the default Instagram app. To broadcast a live video, just swipe right in Instagram and tap on the option Live. If you don't see it, you need to update to the latest version. While watching a broadcast, you can like and comment on your friends' live streams.
When you start a live video, Instagram sends a notification to some of your followers. Others may see a tag "Live" on your Instagram story and watch the show. You can share live videos as long as one hour and they become unavailable as soon as the broadcast ends.
Download : (free, with ads)
8. Hang w /
Suspend w/ is yet another live streaming app for Android. The app's interface isn't the prettiest, but it comes with loads of features. It allows you to broadcast privately or publicly. You can explore multiple categories like what's hot, what's most popular, music, sports, etc. There is an option to send digital tip to your favorite broadcasters. Another great feature of Hang w/ is that it allows you to create a digital ticket, where you set the price and time, then interested people can buy that ticket and tune in to your show.
It's full of new features, but the reason it wouldn't be my first recommendation is: the broadcast seems to be largely unmoderated. When it first started, it showed me a dozen NSFW videos and there wasn't even a way to filter the shows. Also, the app seems to have some server issues recently, but that's no time can't fix. So if you're going to use it at all, be aware of that.
Download: (free, with in-app purchases)
Honorable mentions
There are a couple of apps which are not intended for mass live streaming, but nonetheless are very useful for live streaming in their particular segments. I list both below:
YouTube has had a live streaming feature for a while now, but most people are still unaware of it. I don't blame it on them because Google played surprisingly low key on this one. Either way, YouTube allows you to stream to your subscribers if your YouTube channel meets the following criteria:
- Your channel is verified.
- You should have no live streaming restrictions within the last 90 days (Stay within community guidelines!).
If your channel meets the eligibility criteria, head to the Google Help page on how to activate and start streaming to your subscribers right now using the Android app. Of course, this only goes for channels and if you're looking to broadcast only to a select group of people, you should go with Periscope or any other similar app on this list.
Download (free, with ads)
Twitch, a subsidiary of Amazon, is a live video streaming platform that boasts about 9,7 million daily active users. Instead of targeting regular personal broadcasters, Twitch targets the gaming community. Twitch allows users to broadcast their gameplay which can then be watched by everyone around the world. If you're a non-gamer like me, it would be surprising at first to learn that people actually enjoy watching other people play games. But, the mere fact that it gets over 2 million streamers per month, is enough to justify that there is a huge market for such a service.
Once you sign up for an account on Twitch, you can start watching reviews of games, Esports, editorials and events by video game publishers. There's also a Premier Twitch version that unlocks exclusive game content and ad-free viewing. This premium version is included with Amazon Prime membership. If you're part of the gaming community, Twitch might help level up your game. (No pun intended!)
Download : (free, with ads)
