Meerkat enables live streams on Facebook with iOS app

The iOS version of the video streaming app Meerkat also lets users post live streams to Facebook; viewers can also log in via Facebook. Previously, the app only partnered with Twitter, but that recently came out with its own video app, Periscope.

The update released on Saturday has version number 1.3. With the new version of the app, users no longer need to have a Twitter account to use Meerkat. You can also log in via Facebook. Users can post streams to both Twitter and Facebook. Announcing a scheduled stream is also possible.

The update also introduces other features. For example, Meerkat now has address book integration so that acquaintances on Meerkat can be automatically shown. Also, popular streams are now automatically placed in the main feed of the app. In addition, users can now respond to streams with emoji.

Meerkat was released in March this year. The video streaming app that originally only worked with Twitter became popular when it was featured frequently by speakers at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival that month. Visitors started streaming presentations with the app. Shortly after the festival ended, Twitter released Periscope, its own livestreaming app similar to Meerkat. Periscope reached more than a million users in ten days.

Meerkat introduced a beta version of its app for Android a few days ago; the ability to publish video streams to Facebook is still missing in that version. Unlike Meerkat, Periscope doesn’t have an Android app yet.