Facebook Live allows users to broadcast live video streams to their followers on Facebook. If someone you follow is broadcasting live, you can join their live video stream to watch it in real-time and interact with the broadcaster and other viewers through comments.
How to Join a Facebook Live Video
There are a few different ways to join a live video on Facebook:
From the News Feed
If someone you follow is broadcasting live, their live video will appear at the top of your News Feed. Simply tap on the live video thumbnail to join the broadcast.
From Notifications
When someone goes live that you follow, you’ll get a notification at the top of the Facebook app. Tap on the notification to immediately join the live broadcast.
From Profile/Pages
If you visit the profile or Page of someone broadcasting live, you’ll see a red “Live” badge on their profile photo. Tap on it to view and join the live stream.
Live Video Tab
The Live Videos tab in the shortcut bar at the bottom of the Facebook app shows you all live broadcasts from people and Pages you follow. Browse and join any live video from there.
Facebook Watch
Live videos may also appear on the Watch tab. You can join live broadcasts the same way as you would from the News Feed.
Interacting with Facebook Live Videos
When watching a Facebook Live video, you have several options to interact:
- Comment – Leave comments that the broadcaster will see and can reply to. Other viewers can also reply to your comments.
- Reactions – Tap the reaction buttons (Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, Angry) to react to the live stream.
- Share – Tap the Share button to share the live video on your own Timeline, in a Group, or with friends.
Going Live on Facebook
If you want to broadcast your own live video on Facebook:
- Open the Facebook app and tap on the “Live” icon in the status box at the top
- Give your live video a title and description
- Tap “Go Live”
- Your live video will broadcast to your followers. Interact with viewers’ comments as they come in.
- Tap “Finish” when you want to end the live video.
Facebook Live is a great way to share experiences and connect with your audience in real time. Fans enjoy the immediacy of live video and the ability to interact directly with broadcasters.
Who Can Join Your Facebook Live Video
The privacy settings on your live video determine who can view and join it:
- Public – Anyone on Facebook can view and join the live video.
- Friends – Only your friends can view and join the live video.
- Specific friends – You select individual friends who can view and join.
- Pages and Groups – If broadcasting live from a Page or in a Group, members of that community can join.
Check your audience selection before going live or in the video settings. This controls who gets notified about your live video and who can watch and interact with the broadcast.
Can You Save/Download Facebook Live Videos?
Yes, Facebook automatically saves live videos after you finish broadcasting so they can be viewed later as normal videos on your Page or Profile:
- Your live video will be saved on your Timeline under the Videos tab.
- Fans can watch the replay video on demand like a regular video.
- Comments are saved and synced from the live video.
- You can download your own live video replays to store offline.
However, other viewers cannot download or save your live video replays. Only the broadcaster has access to the full live video recording file.
Facebook Live Video Length Limit
You can broadcast live on Facebook for up to:
- 4 hours at once when broadcasting from a Page.
- 8 hours at once when broadcasting from a personal profile.
Beyond that, the live video will automatically end. You can start a new live video immediately if you want to continue broadcasting.
Tips for Joining Facebook Live Videos
Here are some tips to improve your viewing experience when joining Facebook Live videos:
- Get notifications – Turn on push notifications for the Pages and people you want to watch live.
- Join promptly – Tap on notifications or open posts quickly to join at the start.
- Comment – Interact with the broadcaster by commenting and reacting to the video.
- Share – Let your friends know about an interesting live video.
- Browse Live Videos tab – Discover more live broadcasts that interest you.
- Watch on WiFi – Live video uses more data, so connect to WiFi if you’re concerned about data usage.
- Replay – You can view the full video later if you miss part of the live broadcast.
Troubleshooting Facebook Live Issues
If you’re having issues joining a Facebook Live video, try these troubleshooting tips:
- Reload the app – Force close and relaunch the Facebook app.
- Check your connection – Make sure your device is connected to the internet.
- Update the app – Install the latest version of the Facebook app.
- Restart your device – Power cycle your phone or tablet.
- Use a different device – Try watching on a computer or different mobile device.
- Clear app cache/data – This will reset the app and clear up corrupt files.
If the issue persists, it could be a wider technical problem affecting Facebook Live, or the broadcaster may have ended the video. Check for any notifications from Facebook about live video disruptions before troubleshooting further.
Conclusion
Facebook Live is an interactive and entertaining way to connect with your friends, family, fans and followers in real time. Joining a live video is as simple as tapping on notifications or live streams from your News Feed or profile pages. Broadcast your own live videos to share experiences and engage your audience with two-way, live interaction. Turn on notifications and take advantage of replay videos to ensure you never miss must-see live broadcasts from the people and Pages you follow.