Facebook rolling out Live Video streaming to regular users, Collages also

In September, Facebook opened Mentions to all verified users and now it’s starting the process of giving everyone access, beginning with 5 percent of US iPhone users. Today, the social network announced that it is giving a select group of US iPhone users the ability to broadcast live from within the Facebook platform. Whether you’re on a weekend trip, at a concert or just hanging out with friends, collages are a great way to share with friends and family who aren’t there with you.

Facebook’s expansion comes as Twitter’s Periscope continues to dominate the emerging live streaming sector.

They’ll be able to write a description and choose the audience they want to broadcast to before going live.

Facebook is introducing the live video feature slowly, with it now being tested with “a small percentage” of U.S. users with iPhones.

The ability to broadcast live video on Facebook is something that has previously only been available to celebrities.

When users end their broadcast, it will be saved on their Timeline like any other video, which they can then delete or keep for friends to watch later. Facebook says the update will give it the flexibility needed to “include new sharing features in the future”.

The social network giant also unveiled a new way to show pictures using a collage. Facebook wants you to rely on it for all of your needs, like keeping up with your friends and following breaking news, and so it’d like you to use it for streaming video rather than loading up Twitter’s Periscope app.

Finally, Facebook has teased a new status update menu on iPhone and Android.

Apart from Live Video, Facebook is also rolling out Collage that groups your photos and videos together for an unbelievable, and literally moving experience.

When you tap on Photo, you’ll see recent moments from your camera roll organized into collages based on when and where you took them.

The Collage feature is available for iPhone users starting today, and will roll out for Android users early next year, according to Lavrusik and Tran.