UPDATED 04:52 EDT / JANUARY 29 2016

NEWS

This will be huge: Facebook live-streaming video coming to iPhone users in the US and soon to the rest of the world

iPhone users in the U.S. will now be able to stream what’s happening to them on the go via Facebook’s new live video feature. Although the feature is only available to people in the U.S., Facebook announced that live video will be rolled-out to the rest of the world in the “coming weeks”.

The feature, similar to that of Twitter Inc.’s Periscope, was first introduced in December last year but only to a small number of people. It’s now available to anyone in the U.S. with an iPhone and can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store right now. Facebook has said that it will also come to Android users soon, as well as other countries.

Facebook said that all you need to do to share a live video is hit the Update Status on your Facebook page and then tap the Live Video icon. You can select who will see the video, and also write a description if need be. As it is being seen live, you will see who is viewing while real-time comments can also be written by your audience. Once your moment in the sun, or perhaps not, is finished the video will then be saved on your Timeline, available for your friends to watch – or deleted in the morning when you wake-up if you realize you might have been a little trigger-happy with your phone.

Live-streaming will also appear in the News Feed, where videos of celebrities and public figures can be viewed as well. Facebook has called the new feature like “having a television studio in your pocket”, and famous folks, including Donald Trump and Vin Diesel have already been seen live by reportedly millions of viewers.

Facebook wrote in a blog post, “Live has taken fans behind-the-scenes with musicians, athletes, actors, politicians, and other influencers, and we’re excited about what’s to come in the future.” In the post a selection of videos is available to see from the likes of Manny Pacquiao (showing-off), Alicia Keys (rehearsing) and journalist Jorge Ramos interviewing presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson live.

Photo credit: Christopher Lucka via Flickr

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