Twitter is finally putting the full weight of the social network behind its live-streaming service, Periscope.
A new update to Twitter’s iOS app released Tuesday (Jan. 12) will allow its users to view live and aired Periscope broadcasts directly from the Twitter timeline. Clicking on the stream will put the video in full-screen mode and show comments and hearts from Periscope users. The new version will be rolled out to iOS devices in the coming days.
Before this update, Twitter users could only share Periscope broadcasts via links in tweets. Clicking on the links would take users to the Periscope app.
It’s a natural move for Twitter to integrate its streaming service into the main app—the change gives Periscope a much wider distribution channel, introducing the broader Twitter community to the live-streaming service. But the update could also be a headache for unsuspecting Twitter users.
By default, the Periscope streams will play automatically over both cellular data and Wi-Fi, a Twitter spokesperson tells Quartz. The default settings will certainly help with engagement, but they could potentially rack up hefty charges for people without unlimited data plans.
To adjust the settings on your Twitter phone app, tap the gear button on your profile page, go to “settings,” and then tap “video autoplay.” You can select to run autoplay using mobile data and Wi-Fi, just Wi-Fi, or never at all.
Twitter had 320 million monthly active users as of October. Periscope said in August that it had 2 million daily active users and 10 million registered accounts.