UPDATED 06:16 EDT / APRIL 16 2015

NEWS

Finally: Meerkat announces public beta testing for Android app

meerkatLive streaming app Meerkat is finally coming to Android after the company announced Wednesday that it announced a public beta testing program.

Meerkat launched on iOS in March and quickly became the most popular live streaming application in the emergent mobile live streaming space. Users are able to use the app for live streaming, with followers having the ability to ask questions during the stream.

The growth surge was tapered somewhat when Twitter decided to restrict Meerkat’s access to their API later later in the same month, along with the microblogging platform also acquiring, then launching Periscope, now Meerkat’s main competition.

To-date neither Periscope nor Meerkat have offered an Android app, despite Android holding around a 78% market share of the global smartphone market.

Periscope itself has previously promised to deliver an Android app, but when the app may be forthcoming isn’t known; no matter what the timing Meerkat launching in any form on Android definitely gives it the advantage of first mover status, and will likely see it surge ahead in the race for customers game once the beta becomes fully open.

If you’re an Android user and ant to give Meerkat a spin, you can sign up using the Google Doc’s form here.


A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities.

  • 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more
  • 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network.
About SiliconANGLE Media
SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI.

Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.