Periscope for Android: Twitter's livestreaming app finally lands on Google Play Store

Launched in March, the app has started plenty of debate but has been left off Google's operating system until now

Andrew Griffin
Tuesday 26 May 2015 15:05 BST
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The app allows users to watch videos of people’s surroundings, acting like a digital periscope
The app allows users to watch videos of people’s surroundings, acting like a digital periscope (Getty Images)

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Twitter has finally launched its livestreaming app Periscope on Android, two months after the app was launched on iOS.

The app is now available to download from the Google Play Store.

The company launched the app in late March, with 1 million signups in the first 10 days. But only iOS users could register, with everyone else being forced to watch on the web, where users can't comment or subscribe to feeds.

Since Periscope was launched two months ago, it has been used to films news events as well as scheduled events including those showing writers' working spaces and live talks with celebrities including Rory McIlroy and Nicola Sturgeon. It's also seen its fair share of controversies, including being used to stream Game of Thrones to people who didn't have HBO subscriptions.

It also ignited a run of speculation about whether livestreaming apps represented the future of social networking. A competitor, Meerkat, was launched just before Periscope but soon became eclipsed by the hype around Twitter's own offering.

Meerkat has already launched an Android app, offering limited beta access.

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