Periscope gets iMessage hearts, improved iPad support on iOS 10
Plus a bunch of improvements to global and home feeds.
Periscope's been tweaking its service to better take on main rival Facebook Live, and with the release of iOS 10 today, the Twitter-owned app gets a big upgrade. The new version of the livestreaming app will come with native iPad support, improved global and home feeds, as well as hearts stickers that you can use in the iPhone's messaging app.
The announcement also includes a feature that was already disclosed last week that lets you see when people you follow start tuning in to your broadcast. Now, you'll see the avatars of your friends chilling out at the bottom of your screen while you cast your stream.
In iOS 10, you'll be able to send stickers that resemble Periscope's famous hearts that pop up when people like your stream. This is only on iMessage, though, which means it'll only work between those on iOS (sorry, Android users).
The app's global feed, which shows all the livestreams around the world at that time, will now display other broadcasts that are similar to what you're watching. Videos will also be larger and autoplay in the home and global feed.
The new native iPad support means that instead of having to press a "2x" button to scale up the iPhone app to fit the larger screen, you'll now get an app interface tailored for a bigger display.
As the world gets more and more dependent on livestreams for its news and entertainment, service providers are providing better tools to support content creators (and consumers). Just last week, Twitter added a new tool that will alert you whenever celebs and your friends start broadcasting, making sure you never miss a new stream.
