Meerkat, the application that let you broadcast live video to your Twitter or Facebook followers (think Periscope) has been removed from mobile platforms. Users will no longer be able to download the fabled app from 2015 on iOS or Android.
If you haven't heard of Meerkat before, it's understandable. The app was a hit when it was first announced in 2015, but then came Periscope. Periscope was a relatively small idea as well, but then Twitter acquired it for $100 million. Soon enough, Periscope picked up steam while interest and users of Meerkat slowly faded away. And now, it's gone. Forever.
Here's the official word from Ben Rubin, one of Meerkat's creators:
We just removed Meerkat from the AppStore 😔 bitter sweet moment seeing it go while celebrating @houseparty
— Ben Rubin (@benrbn) September 30, 2016
Meerkat truly has been shut down, as its Twitter account has been set to private mode. Not only that, but its website now redirects to Houseparty's website, a new project Rubin and the folks at Life On Air are working on.
https://youtu.be/TcRQ98I2eEQ
Houseparty takes on a completely different direction as a group video chat application. Users are able to jump into something called a “party” to start video chatting with friends and family that are online. You can have up to 8 people simultaneously in said party, allowing you to take your conversations beyond just phone calls and text messages. And, with one million users already, it seems to be catching on. You can check it out here.
Meerkat might be dead, but that seems to be to make way for something even better.
source: TechCrunch
