Xiaomi Mi Live is just another live streaming app

Popular for its budget smartphones and the MIUI software, Xiaomi is now releasing apps which are not exclusive to the Xiaomi smartphones. Its first app called MI Live is a live streaming platform in the same vein as Facebook Live and Periscope. Available as free download on Play Store, the Mi Live is currently available only on Android devices.

User-friendly layout

One can login via your mobile number, Facebook, Google, WeChat, or if you are a MIUI user you can use your MI account. The app shows the live streams and replays together based on popularity or how latest the post is. Every post shows the profile picture of the user, user name, and number of views. You can view the posts, like them, comment on it, see how many people are watching it, or share it with others. In replays, you have the option to pause a video.

The menu is placed at the end of the page and is a permanent fixture even if you scroll through the page. It shows tabs for Home page, your feeds, messages, and your profile and the live button. You can tap it if you want to go live and share it with your friends. The app also supports VR streaming, which means one can see videos captured using a 360 degree through their VR headset. This is cool but there is no marker that tells apart a VR post from a regular post. It also comes with some cool filters which you can apply to make your live streams more colourful.

How it compares with Periscope and Facebook Live

The app is in competition with Twitter’s Periscope and Facebook Live. Periscope’s close integration with Twitter, allows users to post their live streams directly on Twitter notifying your followers and friends when you want to go live. Facebook Live live stream feature is built in within Facebook and doesn’t require users to download a separate app for it. The fact is that both platforms are also popular social media networks which means the users are essentially visiting for a lot more than live streaming. Which puts Mi Live at a bit of a disadvantage, as a standalone live streaming app.

Is it worth a try?

Mi Live is easy to use and has got most things right, in terms of the features and useability. However, it doesn’t offer anything extraordinary or exclusive that one can’t find on Facebook Live or Periscope. This can serve as an exclusive platform for the Xiaomi fans to connect with each other, but for a regular user with no loyalty for Xiaomi, it brings little value to the table.