Facebook launched its Live Video feature in April 2016, and by December 2016, they had already hinted on expanding the feature to include Live Audio and Live 360 which they’ve also made available to all Facebook users.
Live Audio streaming is similar to the Live Video stream just without the video component. This means you won’t get to see who’s talking, so it’ll feel a lot more like you’re listening to a podcast or the radio or things of that sort. Thus, you can have interviews, book readings, new songs, and many other audio-centric contents which do not necessarily require a Video stream for you to engage with your audience well. Just as with live video, listeners can discover live audio content in News Feed, ask questions and leave reactions in real time during the broadcast, and easily share with their friends.
Also, if you start a live video broadcast and internet connectivity drops, you can switch to audio and the stream continues seamlessly.
You can use the feature by following the steps below:
Open your Facebook app and click on the Go Live
If you haven’t used the Live feature before, the Facebook app will ask for access to camera and microphone. Click ‘Allow’ or ‘Ok’ to grant the permissions.
You can choose your audience from the box that says ‘Friends’. From there you choose who you want to partake in your Live stream.
The default stream option is for Video, so you click on options (the circle with 3 dots inside), and select Live Audio.
Write a good description for your stream, i.e. what it is you’ll be talking about. Something short and catchy will do.
Press the big red button and voila, you are LIVE. Facebook will notify your audience of your live stream. You can see their reactions and comments real time, and you can respond to them in your audio stream.
After the stream is over, you can post it to your timeline so people that missed it can listen to it.
Facebook Live Audio is available on both iOS and Android. According to Facebook, iOS users will not be able to participate in the Livestream if they leave the Facebook app, whereas Android users can keep enjoying the Livestream irrespective of whether they leave the Facebook app environment or not.
