Instagram Extends Live Stream Duration to 4 Hours and Adds Live Archive

Oct. 28, 2020

With thecoronaviruspandemic, several creators are now more active on social media platforms like Instagram to connect and engage with their followers, especially through live streams. In an attempt to improve the experience of creators, Instagram has nowannounced three new changesto its Live section.

The first change is regarding the duration of Instagram Live sessions. While Instagram offered a maximum limit of 1 hour until now, the Facebook-owned company hasincreased the duration to up to 4 hours.This should be primarily convenient for hosting live classes and virtual concerts. The increased limit is available to all Instagram users across the globe, but your account should not have a history of IP or policy violations.

With the increased duration, creators are likely to use the feature more often, which is exactly why Instagram is improving the discoverability of live sessions.You will see a ‘Live Now’ section in the IGTV app and on the Explore tabto tune into live streams that you might otherwise be missing out on.

The third new change is the ability to archive live streams for up to 30 days. Unlikearchived posts and stories, thearchived live videos will get automatically deleted after 30 days. Within this time period, you can either download them to your device or choose to upload the streams to IGTV.

So, with the increased live duration, are you more likely to use Instagram rather than otherlive streaming appsfor staying connected? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Subin writes about consumer tech, software, and security. He secretly misses the headphone jack while pretending he’s better off with the wireless freedom.