Many of us didn’t even know the Periscope app still existed.
Since Twitter has really integrated video into its main app, many thought that the Periscope app was actually gone and dead. But nope, you can still install it from the Play Store and use it to watch live video. However, according to Jane Manchun Wong who did some digging through the Twitter app code, it looks like the app is going to be closed down fairly soon.
Now it’s important to note that just because it is mentioned in the code, doesn’t mean it’s happening very soon. It might even be 2021 before Twitter actually announces that it is closing down Periscope. So do take this with a bit of salt.
Live video on Twitter is not going away
Perhaps the most important thing to remember about Twitter shutting down the Periscope app, is that it is not getting rid of live video. It’s not going anywhere. Twitter would be absolutely stupid to get rid of that, since it is what is driving more engagement and causing more users to spend more time on Twitter now. Instead, it is just getting rid of the dedicated live video app, now that you can watch everything on Twitter.
You might notice some changes to live video on Twitter though, when this does happen. The interface on live video is definitely still Periscope, and that might change. Though it’s tough to say right now. And we likely won’t know until Twitter makes it official that it is closing down Periscope.
Periscope launched back in 2015, and took on a few other competitors in the space, including Houseparty – who really got this trend started. Facebook and Instagram also launched “Live” around that time, and it became very popular to go “Live” on your account. Enabling you to talk to your followers, and such. Which became really popular in 2020 due to the pandemic.