Instagram Live: Will New Video Update Be Better Than Facebook Live And Snapchat?

Instagram rolled out its latest live video features on Monday, allowing U.S. users to broadcast their lives to followers in real time. The picture-sharing app already offers a Stories feature, which allows users to upload pictures and videos that disappear after 24 hours, and now live videos will be accessible in the Stories section of the app, as well.

While some users appear to be thrilled with being able to broadcast their day-to-day moments on the mobile app, others Instagrammers are wondering how different Instagram Live will be from all the other social media apps with live video functions, including Facebook Live and Snapchat, both of which allow users to post videos in real time.

Similar to Facebook Live, followers will receive notifications and alerts when a user goes live. Unlike Facebook Live and Snapchat, Instagram Live will not store the video for later viewing. On Snapchat, videos and pictures posted remain available for viewing among followers for up to 24 hours after the video of photo is posted. Facebook Live videos remain available for viewing on an account for as long as a user chooses. However, on Instagram Live, videos will only be available during the time a user is actually broadcasting, after which they will disappear once a user is done going live.

Instagram users will also be able to discover live videos on the new platform as well. Unlike Snapchat, which only showcases videos of accounts a user is already following, Instagram’s discovery section will also let users browse live videos while they’re broadcasting. So users can tune into live videos of accounts that they may not necessarily be following regularly on the app. However, Facebook Live also offers a section where live videos are specifically held, giving users the opportunity to discover other’s accounts while they’re posting live videos, as well.

Check out a few reactions to Instagram Live on Twitter below: