Instagram Adds New Options to Switch Off Your Audio or Video During an IG Live Broadcast

In what looks to be a response to the rising popularity of Clubhouse, and audio social more broadly, Instagram is rolling out two new features for IG Live – the capacity to mute your audio during a live-stream, and the option to switch off your video during the live broadcast. You can see the new controls at the bottom of the top left video panel here – now, participants within a stream will be able to simply tap to switch off their audio or video (along with the capacity to add stickers and effects and flip their camera). When the camera is switched off, that participants’ screen will revert to their profile image (top right in the second screenshot above). Which does look very similar to the Clubhouse-style profile bubbles, and through IG live broadcasts, with up to three other participants, it could somewhat replicate the Clubhouse type audio social experience within Instagram, broadcasting your conversation to your audience within the app, via the top of feed Stories bubble – which could hold more appeal to those who’ve built their audience in Instagram, as opposed to establishing a new crowd via a new audio app. As per Instagram: “We want to build…
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