Instagram Live Rooms rolls out to India market first: Here's what the feature offers. Instagram has announced a new feature called ‘Live Rooms’ which will let users add three more people to their Live video. Instagram says the feature was being tested in India and it is one of the first countries where this is being rolled out more broadly. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns, Instagram saw a massive boost in the number of live streams taking place on the platform. According to the company. Instagram Live views in India grew by 60 percent on a week-on-week basis.
The new ‘Live Rooms’ feature will allow up to three guests and Instagram says this will give “creators more opportunities to have conversations with their communities, and to expand their reach and use cases for Live, such as starting a talk show or a podcast, etc.”
“Creators are at the forefront of pushing culture and creativity on Instagram and we’re constantly innovating to help them express themselves better. This year in particular has seen extensive use of Live, and as physical distancing norms continue, Live will remain an invaluable feature to bring friends, families and audiences together, and foster meaningful conversations. From the launch of Reels, to the testing and rollout of Live Rooms, India is playing a crucial role in the way products are being designed for the future,” Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, said in a statement.
Instagram said it had tested the feature creators such as @shereenlovebug aka Shereen Bharwani, @mr.mnv aka Manav Chhabra and @rohina aka Rohina Anand Khira in India.
How to use Live Rooms
First you need to go Live on Instagram. To do so, tap the plus sign in top left hand corner of your stories tray or click the “Create” plus icon in the top right of home navigation bar. Or you can swipe left when you’re on the main Instagram home screen.
Scroll to and tap the Live camera option at the bottom. Use the menu on the left to add a title if wish to do so.
Tap the circular button to go live. Now to add guests to your live stream, tap the Camera/Rooms icon when you are live.
You’ll see people that have requested to join your live. You can also search for your guest’s name to send them a request to join your live. To do this simply tap on the guest’s handle to add them. Instagram say you can add all three guests at one time, and you can also add guests at a later time
The rollout for ‘Live Rooms’ has begun and will be available to everyone in India and Indonesia soon, according to the company.