Instagram’s Live Rooms feature lets four people go live simultaneously

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Instagram Live, which launched in 2017, allows two users to start a live chatroom where their followers get alerted and can tune in. The feature has been especially nice over the last year, with most people staying at home and things like live music all but being canceled.

Now, the company is expanding the service, called Live Rooms, allowing for four people to start a livestream together. The feature was first tested in places like India and Indonesia and is rolling out worldwide today.

Vishal Shah, head of product for Instagram, tells BuzzFeed News, “The number one request we heard was: ‘How can I bring in more than one person?’”

As for privacy, anybody blocked from any of the four people in the Live Room will be unable to watch the livestream. There are also monetization options in the form of badges that users can pay for. These Instagram badges help them stand out in the live chat and sometimes unlock special features from the creators.

Now that Live Rooms can include four people at once, the experience is starting to feel more similar to something like shows on Twitch, or the most recent crazy, Clubhouse.

Have any thoughts on this? Is this a feature you could see yourself using with friends or colleagues? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Catatonicyouths on Instagram is your new source for the dirt worst music in the world
• Twitter will straight-up ban you if keep pushing out COVID-19 misinformation
• Of course Facebook is considering facial recognition for its smart glasses
• Parler has somehow managed to get itself back online