Periscope will be shut down as a separate mobile app by Twitter by March 31, 2021, the company announced in an official blog post. The decision comes due to declining usage and the app being in an unsustainable maintenance-mode state, according a company’s post. Also Read - Periscope for iOS update now makes it easier for you to block trolls
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen declining usage and know that the cost to support the app will only continue to go up over time,” the post read. Also Read - Periscope streaming app spreads to Android smartphones
Even though Periscope will be discontinued, Twitter users will still be able to do live video streaming, thanks to Twitter Live feature in the Twitter app. The company said it has already brought most of the core capabilities of Periscope into Twitter. Also Read - Periscope now lets new users sign up without a Twitter account
Though the live streaming app will be officially removed from the app stores by March 2021, no new users will be allowed to create a new account in-app starting with the next update. Prior to discontinuation of the app, broadcasters will be able to download an archive of their Periscope broadcasts and data. Further, the broadcasts that were shared to Twitter will live on as replays, Twitter has revealed.
Twitter officially acquired the live streaming app in 2015. Though it was initially unveiled as a standalone app, a lot of its functionalities were integrated into the main Twitter app in 2016.
“The capabilities and ethos of the Periscope team and infrastructure already permeate Twitter, and we’re confident that live video still has the potential of seeing an even wider audience within the Twitter product,” according to the post.
Periscope’s Super Broadcaster program will be shut down as well on March 31, 2021. In addition, the Periscope website will remain active but only as a “read-only archive of public broadcasts.”
How to link Periscope account to Twitter
The good news is that users can link their Periscope account to Twitter before the app is discontinued. To do so, log in to the Periscope app and navigate to the settings tab. Next, click on Connected Accounts. Here, users should be able to add a connected Twitter account to their Periscope user.
Once linked, all of the user’s past and future broadcasts will be associated with and accessible by that Twitter account.
