YouTube, the Google-owned video-streaming giant, has added a new indicator that will make it easier for users to identify when a channel is live streaming on the YouTube mobile app while they browse their video feed.
The new feature called “Live Rings” will display a luminous red ring with the word “Live” around a channel’s profile picture when live streaming on the platform. Clicking on the channel avatar will directly take users to the live broadcast.
Really focused making it easier for users to find livestreams on @YouTube so we're rolling out the Live rings feature on mobile! @YouTubeCreators streaming live will now have a ring around the channel avatar & clicking on the avatar will take you directly to the livestream. pic.twitter.com/QylUbpktum
— Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) February 18, 2022
Similar indicators for channels that are live streaming are already available on other social platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. While TikTok adds a pulsing ring effect on a channel’s profile picture to notify the user that it is live streaming, Instagram displays a colorful ring around the profile pictures of live streaming accounts.
The Live Rings feature is gradually rolling out to users on Android and iOS. If you are unable to see the feature on your device, you may start seeing it in the coming days! You can also try updating your YouTube app from the Google Play Store or the App Store.