What you need to know
- X (formerly Twitter) has rolled out a video option for hosts initiating a broadcast in Spaces.
- Hosts can decide which camera the video stems from while also seeing their camera persistently alongside users in their chat.
- The feature has yet to arrive on Android and desktop. However, those on iOS can begin playing around with it.
X (formerly Twitter) is rolling out an addition to its Spaces broadcast feature that lets users go live in another way.
X News account posted about the addition, stating, “Audio and video calling are now available to everyone on X!” Following this, DogeDesigner posted an example of the video streaming’s introduction to Spaces (via The Verge). When beginning a new Space broadcast, users will find a new “enable video” toggle beneath the pre-existing “record Space” option.
Enabling video streaming will provide users a moment to get situated before starting their broadcast. The app will show what your rear camera sees, alongside an option to flip to your front-facing selfie camera if necessary. After starting, users will find a new camera icon beside the microphone icon.
This button’s existence is likely to give users the convenience of shutting off their camera at a moment’s notice.
As The Verge notes, the video portion of a Space stream is only present when live, meaning that recording your Space still pertains to the audio part.
BREAKING: Video Spaces are now live on 𝕏Here’s how to host a video space: pic.twitter.com/PgYHiq0jhUFebruary 28, 2024
Meanwhile, as noted by Engadget, there seem to be quite a few issues users have begun noticing with X’s video streaming in Spaces. One user’s lengthy post discussed problems such as placing the broadcast in landscape mode (for the host) makes it extremely difficult to manage the stream properly. More importantly, enabling a video stream reportedly causes a massive increase in the stream’s delay.
The user reported noticing the delay rise from 1.2 seconds to around 5 seconds.
Spaces’ ability to enable a video stream doesn’t appear to have arrived just yet for Android. However, those on iOS appear to have it. Additionally, joining a Space broadcast on a desktop doesn’t show the video portion if the host has it enabled. This means support for those on computers will have to come at another time.
X’s latest inclusion of video in Spaces follows a month after Android users picked up voice and video calling through DMs. The feature lets everyone be a part of a call, however, only Premium X users can start a call with another person. X included an extra layer of security, as well, enabling users to hide their IP address from the person they’re speaking with.
