‘Unicorns’ app can live stream what you’re doing now on your phone

I stream, you stream, we all stream for livestream… Live broadcasting from our digital devices is all the rage now, from the real-time video app Periscope to the video game broadcasting site Twitch. Now, a new app lets you lifestream whatever is on your smartphone app’s screen –even if you’re playing a game or sending a saucy text message. The Unicorns app offers the user a URL linked to their digital device’s screen, which can be shared publicly or privately and viewed via a desktop web browser. While the app seems a little creepy, its creators hope the gizmo will be used for practical purposes, like app demos, gadget reviews or gaming streams. Released in beta, the app by San Francisco startup Lookback is available for Mac OSX 10.10+ and iOS 8+ device. Metro chatted more with Neil Kinnish, member of the Lookback team.

Unicorns is handy, but also seems quite peculiar. Are you fans of livestreaming?

— Yes. Our company Lookback is all about recording applications for usability and feedback, so livestreaming was an obvious move for us, then we decided to create the app.

There are other similar apps, but your device allows the user to broadcast whatever he or she decides. I’m wondering if it’s considered legal…

— Unicorns allows users to share and discuss a new project they are working on or game they are playing. We do not condone or encourage streaming of illegal or copyright material.

But people can broadcast their most intimate parts of their lives. That’s awkward…

— Yes, but it’s not specifically aimed at those private moments. In fact there are various use cases – for example, a product team can livestream a new application or game they are building and get instant feedback.

Don’t you think that apps like yours would, somehow, stimulate some people to expose themselves more than we’re already doing these days?

— People have a strong desire or need to share and collaborate, we’re facilitating that, but ultimately it’s up to the user.

Can we say that Unicorns is like a combination of the apps Periscope and Homescreen?

— It definitely shares some of their attributes, but you could also say it’s like Twitch for mobile gaming.

That’s why you have created a kind of chat for users and viewers?

— Yes, we built in live-chat features so they can talk to each other. There are many great benefits to this.

Do you intend to improve it soon? What are the plans for Unicorns?

— The product has so much potential, but it’s early days, right now we are planning our next steps based on use cases and feedback we have seen.

Website: https://unicorns.io/