Periscope streaming app spreads to Android smartphones

[SAN FRANCISCO] Twitter launched its Periscope application on Android-powered devices on Tuesday as the battle for live-streaming video spread to the world's leading smartphone platform.

A version of Periscope tailored for Android, the KitKat version or newer, debuted at the Google Play shop as Twitter stepped up its offensive on rival video-streaming application Meerkat.

"When we started Periscope, we wanted to build the closest thing to teleportation - by providing users with the best way to start or watch a live video broadcast," the Periscope team said in an online post.

"Our initial launch was limited to just (Apple's) iOS, but we've been working really hard to craft an experience that feels special on Android, yet still unmistakably Periscope." A version of Periscope for Apple iPhones was released in late March.

The Periscope app, like Meerkat, allows anyone to stream live video to a wide audience with their smartphone.

Meerkat became a virtual overnight sensation on its debut earlier this year. But Twitter soon blocked access to a function that allowed the video to spread further within the social network.

AFP