Instagram has changed its rules for going live on the platform. Starting now, users must have a public account with at least 1,000 followers to use the Live feature. Before, anyone could go live regardless of follower count or account type.
This update affects smaller creators and regular users who enjoy live streaming with friends but have fewer than 1,000 followers. When they try to go live, they will see a message saying their account does not meet the new requirements.
Many users have expressed frustration online and asked Instagram to reverse the change.
The new rule makes Instagram’s live feature similar to TikTok’s, which also requires 1,000 followers to go live. By comparison, YouTube only requires 50 subscribers.
Instagram did not give a detailed reason for the change but said it aims to improve the overall Live experience. Limiting live streams to larger accounts may reduce lower-quality broadcasts and save costs for Meta, Instagram’s parent company, since hosting live streams can be expensive.
