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How to go live on Twitter

Going live can connect you with your social media followers in a more personal way than with just text and photo posts. You get to talk to your followers directly, at length, about whatever’s on your mind and watchers can respond in real-time. Many people don’t know that you can go live on Twitter just like you can go live on Instagram and Facebook, even though the feature has been around since 2016. Here’s how to get started.

Person livestreaming on Twitter

How to livestream on Twitter

Going live on Twitter is easy. Open the app and tap on the Compose button in the bottom right corner. Then, tap on the Photo icon and on the Live choice beside Video and Capture. You’ll see that some new options will pop up on the screen. You can add your location, invite friends and name your livestream.

If you don’t want guests in your livestream, then tap the friend icon by the Go Live button. If you leave the guest option on, don’t worry. You can control who your guests are during the livestream while you’re streaming.

To go live, just tap the Go Live button.

How to go live on Twitter
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What to do while streaming

There are several different features you can use while live. You can add guests to your livestream by tapping on the friend icon at the bottom of the screen, for example. You can add guests throughout the stream and remove them whenever you want through this feature. A tap on the three dots beside the friend icon pops up a menu that gives you the option to hide comments, the ability ask for follows and shares automatically, and the option to look at the guest list.

What to do when you’re done with your live broadcast on Twitter

To end your live, tap the X icon in the upper left corner and tap Stop Broadcast at the bottom of the screen.  You will then have the option of deleting your livestream, sharing it, or editing it by tapping on the three dots at the bottom of the screen. You can also check the live’s stats, including how much of the video was actually watched by viewers and the duration of your livestream.

If you find you want to delete the live later, an easy way to do it is to find the video on your Twitter feed and delete the post. This will also delete it from your media area.

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Alina Bradford
Alina Bradford has been a tech, lifestyle and science writer for more than 20 years. Her work is read by millions each month…
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