Periscope maybe heading for retirement, Twitter app code indicates

Periscope was acquired by the social media giant before it had even launched in an attempt to counter Meerkat, a live-streaming tool for Twitter and Facebook accounts.

By: Tech Desk
New Delhi | December 14, 2020 12:13 PM IST

3 min read

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Twitter announces that it is shutting down Periscope (Reuters representational image)

Twitter has been evolving in the past few years by emphasising on Twitter Live, launching Fleets recently or flagging misleading content. But now, Twitter seems to be shutting down its live video broadcasting app Periscope, as per a code in the Twitter app.

So far, there is no confirmation from Twitter about the alleged retirement of Periscope but a developer Jane Machun Wong found a line in Twitter’s app code that indicated that Periscope, the live-streaming app it acquired in May 2015 is heading towards its end.

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As per TechCrunch, Wong pointed out that currently there are no references of shutdown in the obtainable version of the Periscope app. However, she also said that the two apps share some codes which led to the screenshot getting “slipped into Twitter”. She also feels that one of the reasons behind its shutdown can be the acquisition of Squad, which is expected to “contribute to the audio, video and conversations areas of Twitter”.

Periscope was acquired by the social media giant before it had even launched in an attempt to counter Meerkat, a live-streaming tool for Twitter and Facebook accounts. Meerkat was later launched as the Houseparty app which became popular during the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was later acquired by Epic.

Meanwhile, Twitter has been promoting Twitter Live content instead of Twitter Live powered by Periscope. This is something that social media apps like Instagram and Facebook have been doing rather than doing it via a standalone app.

Despite the low popularity, Periscope was featured in the top 100 social media networking apps by AppAnnnie’s rankings. One of the major reasons for Periscope’s downfall has also been the dominance of TikTok-style videos.

Periscope will not be the first acquisition by Twitter that will die a slow death despite showing immense promise in the beginning. Vine, a short-form video app was another that Twitter killed off. It was too soon to kill off Vine as social media users are more inclined to view or make short-form videos now.

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