Instagram Live goes after Clubhouse with options to mute, turn off video

Instagram

We know Facebook is adamant about taking on audio-only chat app Clubhouse, and it looks like the company found a way through its popular app, Instagram. Instagram Live is getting a new feature that will let users mute their microphones or turn off their video while they're on Live. According to Instagram, these features are meant to give hosts "more flexibility" during their live stream while taking off the pressure of having to look or sound some way while broadcasting live. But as TechCrunch observed, it's just one more way for Facebook to use Clubhouse's playbook for its platform.

Right now, hosts can't turn on or off for their guests or mute them as well. But Instagram said it is working on "offering more of these types of capabilities" to broadcasters. And these features are reportedly coming out soon. Instagram tested these new features during a recent Instagram Live between Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram Head Adam Mosseri.

Instagram Lite makes a comeback

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Instagram pulled its smaller Lite app in the spring of 2020 but now has decided to resurrect it. The app is getting new features and a larger file size to accommodate them. It has rolled out on Android in 170, with a global rollout in the works. There is no plan for an iOS version at the moment. Instagram Lite will only need two megabytes to install compared to the regular Instagram app's 30MB. The original app only needed 573 kilobytes, so it's a significant increase.

But this bigger size allows users to send direct messages and record and post videos, too. The Reels tab will also take the place of the shopping tab in areas where Reels is available. However, you won't be able to make Reels on the Lite app. Shopping won't come to Instagram Lite. According to its product manager Nick Brown, Reels received "a lot of engagement" in India, which is why it opted to keep this tab. With TikTok banned in India, it makes sense for Instagram to double down on this feature.

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Instagram tests an auto-caption sticker for Stories

It might soon be easier to caption Instagram Stories. The social network is testing out a way to add automatic captions to the feature. Social media consultant Matt Navarra shared a video on Twitter of auto-captions in action. It shows a new CC captions option available alongside the other stickers you can add to your stories. When you enable it, the sticker will show a transcription of the audio. It also lets you change the captions' font and style as you would when you type text on your Stories.

As Engadget pointed out, the feature didn't transcribe Navarra's audio completely accurately as it mistook the word "finally" for "find." Errors with automatic transcriptions are inevitable, though. 

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Instagram's Live Rooms allows up to four people at once to go live

Source: Instagram

Instagram is launching a new live streaming feature called Live Rooms. It will let four people at once on a live broadcast, which was previously only limited to two. According to the Facebook-owned company, it hopes the feature will encourage users to do things like start a talk show or podcast, collaborate with others, or hold "jam sessions."

Having more people on an Instagram Live can potentially grow its audience as the participants' followers can see if the Live is streaming. But The Verge pointed out that anyone blocked by the active participants won't be able to join the Live Rooms.

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