Facebook is testing a new way for users to go live. First spotted at the beginning of this month, the feature allows some users to start a live video directly from Facebook Camera.
For those of us not in the test group, this option (“Go Live”) has been available under Status update. For users in the test group, the feature appears in the Facebook Camera screen, alongside other options like Live Audio and GIF.
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The New Facebook Camera Tabs
As TechCrunch reports, users in the test group are seeing the Live, Normal, and GIF tabs at the top of the Facebook Camera screen.
When you click on the Live tab, two icons come up: A video icon, which you can use to live stream a video, and a microphone icon that allows you to just stream audio.
Instead of sharing your live stream in a regular Facebook post, this new feature lets you share in your Facebook Story.
Or you could do both: share in a post and Story at the same time. From the drop-down menu, you can also pick the segment of your audience that gets to see the livestream – a particular Friends list, for instance.
Facebook Live Stories were recently spotted: They are also being tested for desktop.
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Go Live from Facebook Camera
When it was launched in 2015, Facebook live streaming feature was exclusive to celebrities. It later rolled out universally via Facebook’s iOS and Android apps and, starting this year, for desktop, too.
The growing popularity of podcasts has inspired Facebook to add the Live Audio button to the feature.
This is designed mainly for authors and publishers who use podcasts to broadcast radio-like shows, book readings, and other broadcasts that are ideal for the audio-only format.
Facebook has told TechCrunch that, for the time being, the feature is just a test and hasn’t been globally rolled out to Facebook users.
