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A Lot More People Get Periscope Access As App Hits Android

Twitter’s Periscope app is now available to Android users who have so far had to stand idly by while iOS device owners had the luxury of talking about and using one of the most talked about apps...
A Lot More People Get Periscope Access As App Hits Android
Written by Chris Crum
  • Twitter’s Periscope app is now available to Android users who have so far had to stand idly by while iOS device owners had the luxury of talking about and using one of the most talked about apps of the year to date. As you’ll recall, Periscope and rival Meerkat both gained a lot of attention back during SXSW, and there have been countless headlines about their rivalry and articles exploring which one is actually better.

    Twitter dealt a huge blow to Meerkat by restricting the app as it launched its own competitor, so the only advantage Meerkat has had has really been the users it acquired before Periscope’s launch as well as the word of mouth associated with them. Well, it did also have the advantage of hitting Android first, but that advantage has now been diminished.

    According to Casey Newton at The Verge, “The biggest difference between the iOS and Android versions of the app is the way you start a broadcast. On iOS it’s the central tab; on Android, it’s a big red button that appears on the broadcast screens, in accordance with Google’s Material Design principles. There are also a couple of minor, Android-specific features. Push notifications are slightly more granular, though there’s still no way to toggle notifications from individual accounts. And if you switch away from a broadcast to another app, you can return to it from a banner placed inside the notification drawer.”

    READ: Here’s What To Do And What Not To Do With Twitter’s Periscope App

    Obviously Android availability opens Periscope up to a whole lot more people as Android dominates smartphone OS market share by a great deal. It does require version 4.4 or higher.

    For those looking to use Periscope for any kind of marketing or exposure, the launch is obviously great news. Your potential audience just got a major increase. Of course that also goes for the potential audience of pirated material, which quickly became an issue after Periscope launched.

    We recently spoke with some marketers who had tested both Periscope and Meerkat in a conference setting. You can get a rundown of the pros and cons to each according to them here.

    READ: Should Your Business Use Meerkat or Periscope?

    Images via Google Play, IDC

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