Last November, Instagram introduced a new live component to Stories, which, like Facebook Live, lets you record and broadcast content in real time, responding to comments as they're posted. Since live videos started, few updates have been made. But starting today, Instagram is finally rolling out a much-needed feature.
Whereas in the past, a live video would disappear forever after you finished broadcasting, you'll now be able to save it to your phone. This means that you can re-watch a video later, post it to Facebook, YouTube, or other social channels, or simply save it for memory's sake. For those who use live for makeup tutorials or other how-to, a save tool is a must.
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Saving is easy — just tap the save button in the upper right-hand corner after you're done recording. (It will look like the download button that you're used to seeing, with the arrow pointing downwards.)
The one downside: You'll only save the video itself, not the likes, comments, or other real-time interactions that took place. For influencers, who use information about their number of viewers and engagement to build their brands, that material would be useful. Plus, since most people respond to comments and use them to guide live video, not having them will make some remarks seem out-of-context if you decide to post the video elsewhere.
Still, it's far better to save the video than it is to lose it entirely. Now, let the content creating commence.