How to go live on Facebook with your mobile or PC

Live streaming on Facebook was first introduced in 2015 and has been a hit ever since. It’s used by companies to promote their products and services, as well as everyday people who want to share a moment with friends and family. Livestreams are uncut and raw, which is what makes them genuine and so popular. It gives viewers a chance to truly connect with the streamer, allowing them to post their reactions in real-time, as well as ask questions.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to go live on Facebook using your Android device as well as your PC. The process is quick and easy no matter which platform you use.

Read more: How to use Facebook — everything you need to know

How to go live on Facebook with an Android device

To go live on Facebook with your Android device, launch the app and tap the What’s on your mind? section at the top, just like you would when creating a new post. After that, select the Go Live option from the list below.

Now it’s time to set things up. Start off by choosing which camera you’ll use for the livestream — front or back. You can switch between the two via the camera button at the top of the screen. Then give your livestream a description and add your location if you want your viewers to know exactly where you are. You can also add an emoji to the mix to let the people know how you’re feeling.

The next step is to invite your Facebook friends to join the livestream. Tap the Bring a Friend option at the bottom of the screen and select a few friends from the list who will be notified once you go live. Once that’s done, the next step is to add some flair to the video with things like filters, frames, and text. Just tap the magic wand icon next to the blue Start Live Video button and play around with the options that pop up.

The last step before going live is to head into Live Settings and select who exactly can view your livestream (anyone, friends, specific friends…). You can access these settings by tapping the To: … section in the upper-left part of the screen. Once you’re done, you can finally go live on Facebook by tapping the Start Live Video button.

Step-by-step instructions on how to go live on Facebook on Android

• Open the Facebook app on your Android device.
• Tap the What’s on your mind? section at the top.
• Tap the Go Live option.
• Select the camera to use for the livestream — switch between the front and rear one with the camera icon at the top of the screen.
• Give your livestream a title and add a location if you want. You can throw in an emoji as well.
• Invite your Facebook friends to join the livestream by tapping the Bring a Friend option. The friends selected will get notified once you go live.
• Add some flair to the video with filters, frames, and text by tapping the magic wand icon next to the Start Live Video button.
• Select exactly who can view your livestream (anyone, friends, specific friends…) by taping the To: … section in the upper-left part of the screen.
• Tap the Start Live Video button to start live streaming.

You can stream live for a maximum of eight hours, and the longer you stream, the more Facebook’s algorithm will prioritize you in the news feed. Press the Finish button to stop streaming, after which you can share the recording on your timeline or delete it.

How to go live on Facebook with a PC

Going live on Facebook with your computer is less popular than with a smartphone, just because you don’t have your PC on you at all times. Also, it’s a lot bigger and heavier, so it’s not as great turning it around if you want to show off your surroundings.

To get started, visit Facebook on your computer, sign in, and click the icon with three horizontal dots that’s in the Create Post section at the top of the page. A pop-up window will show up — click the Live Video option.

The next step is to set up a few things before you go live. Most of the settings are straightforward and the same as those we covered with the Android version above, so I’m not going to go over every detail here. You just have to add a title to the livestream, decide who can view it, and add a location, among other things. But you cannot customize the stream with filters and text like you can on an Android device.

Step-by-step instructions on how to go live on Facebook

• Click the icon with three horizontal dots that’s in the Create Post section at the top of the page.
• Click the Live Video option.
• Add in all the details (description, location…).
• Click the Go Live button in the bottom-right corner to start live streaming.

Read more: How to unblock someone on Facebook

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