bigo.tv

Since the turn of the millennium, apps and platforms have taken over our lives to such a degree that few among us can claim that they're not present on social media.

Success defined in numbers

The billion-dollar mark was recently reached by platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Meanwhile, apps from the Asian subcontinent are making a big impact with Bigo Live reportedly having nearly 300 million users. If the numbers seem unbelievable, you can verify it through their 35 million reviews on PlayStore alone. Bogo Live drives the majority of its traffic from the Asian market with countries such as Singapore, India, Bangladesh, and South Korea.

From chatroom to a social phenomenon

Bigo Live is a live streaming app that originated with unique features to help broadcasters share their personal experiences with the world. This app allows great latitude for audiences to share their daily lives in creative ways which helps the app become a part of our lives.

What is Bigo Live?

Bigo Live is an application with a live social and video streaming feature. It was developed in 2016 by a Singapore based internet company. The app has become a household name in Singapore and in most of the Asian countries due to its affordable social live video broadcasting with VOIP - Voice over Internet Protocol support. In just three years, the app has become a leading player in the social live video broadcasting industry. The ability to share your life and not just talent has made it successful.

How does Bigo Live work?

Bigo Live is a live streaming app that allows you to broadcast your life with just one tap. You can create and post videos in minutes, and you can either register yourself on the app or sign-in using Facebook or Google ID. Through Bigo Live, you can access new and popular content nearby, watch live streams, or join chat rooms. You can even share streams on social media. If you enjoy a particular streaming channel's content, you can give them gifts in the form of beans. Beans similar to "Gold on Reddit" indicate the popularity of that channel. You can also trade those beans for real cash. Furthermore, this app is not just about streaming; it also has levels and ranks, allowing users to gain experience points by staying active on the platform.

Why should you use Bigo Live app?

Many people find that they get hooked to the Bigo Live app because of a variety of reasons. I will share some of my favorite reasons for using the Bigo Live app with you.

Ability to Broadcast Yourself

The primary reason why I enjoy using this app is that it allows me to live stream. Whether I'm talking, playing games, singing or dancing, I can share my experience with the world within a single click. After the facial recognition is complete, you can even apply the beauty effect when video chatting. The best part is that you don't need to have the talent to get more followers, just a decent story is good enough to get you started.

Watch Live Streams

I enjoy watching the content of other people's lives on Bigo Live. This platform provides access to millions of talented singers, dancers, comedians, and teachers who use it for the greater good. Additionally, there are streamers playing various video games such as "Fortnite," "Dota 2," and "ROXQ." Watching these streams is addicting, and you can even interact with broadcasters, join live events, earn rewards and send virtual gifts.

Free Voice & Video Chat

You can video chat for free with anyone and create a group video chat with up to 9 people. If you want to talk to a stranger, you can choose different chat rooms and filter based on topics and the location.

Use Gaming Center

If you don't love live streaming, you can take a break and enjoy different games on the game center. There are many games which you can play with your friends and families, including Sheep Battle, Snakes & Ladders, and Ludo.

Watch Educational Streams

Bigo Live is a great app if you want to improve your soft skills. There are many creators who provide training classes through live streams, so you can learn English, Mandarin, Hindi or any other soft skills in a productive manner.

Seek Astrology Consultation & Relationship Advice

There are professional astrologers on Bigo Live. You can ask them any questions regarding your Education, Finance, Career, Marriage, Health or your relationships. Though I'm not a huge fan of this feature, if you are then you'll have a great time on this app.

Why you shouldn?t download the Bigo Live app?

This app clearly attracts the younger audience and it goes without saying that most of its audience involves scantily clad teenagers. While it can be used for positive purposes, such as bringing positivity, sadly, that?s not how most users see this app. They use it to promote violent and sexually explicit content. Especially, with the AI age verification which can be fooled quite easily, most of the users on this app might not even be 17. This app clearly attracts the younger audience and it goes without saying that most of its audience involves scantily clad teenagers. If you don't believe me, just do a random search on google and the results you find will be disturbing. The worst part is most of these apps even use such content to promote their app on YouTube and in-app videos, which is quite disturbing.

Design

The Bigo Live app has a modern design with dynamic streaming options. It is easy to navigate thanks to its user-friendly interface. Visually, it is as good as any other platform in the market. Its interface is super clean and streams are of decent quality. Normal and video chats are up to the mark and there are no discrepancies upon connection. The turquoise and grey color scheme is attractive to teenagers and young adults, who will find the homepage with a search bar on the left followed by three menus - Popular, Explore, and Game. There is a notification icon on the right.

There is a small mosaic tile with a not so good user thumbnail under the tiles. Five options are available- Live, Location, Broadcast, Videos, and User Account. This is standard in major communication apps.

Content

And if you have an account on Twitch, you can even follow live streams of other gamers or watch archived content. There is no shortage of content on this app. You will find entertaining videos from over a million users across the world. You can watch tons of content including book and movie reviews, dance performances, make-up tutorials, and mukbangs (people eating and chatting). You can follow your favorite streamers and receive updates whenever they are online. You can send virtual gifts such as stars, candies, lollipops, and hearts. And if you have an account on Twitch, you can even follow live streams of other gamers or watch archived content.

Usability

Though the app itself is highly user-friendly, the content on it is objectionable. Bigo Live is available across all platforms on Android, iOS, and Windows. It works perfectly on any mid-range device. It is easy to vlog yourself even if you are not a seasoned vlogger. In terms of functionality, Bigo Live is as good as any top app on PlayStore or App Store.

Suggestions I have for Bigo Live

I do not have any qualms with this app, other than its age verification system. Requiring users to reveal their age, location and gender is not safe for young teens. The content circulating on the network is not the best and users cross the line to collect beans which converts into real-world cash. My suggestion to developers would be to make this app safer because though it is a free app, it can cost young teens to lose much more than just money.

Conclusion

Overall, it is a great app mostly being used for all the wrong reasons in the developing countries. Bigo Live is already one of the biggest social media platforms out there, and it is worth a try. Though you won't find a date or get intrigued by the platform, you can use it as a way to kill some time. That's all.