You can now place a request to join your friend's Instagram live stream

In the latest update, Instagram is getting a new feature that will make it easier for you to go live with friends. Starting today, when you're friend is live on Instagram, you can join the session by sending a request.

When watching a friend's live video, simply tap the "Request" button in the comments section, and once the request is sent, you'll will get a confirmation if he/she accepts the request. Once you're live with your friend, the screen will split in half, and you can also leave your friend's live video session at any time.

If you're the host of the live video, you will see requests from friends who want to join in. The request will be shown as notification in the comments section. Tap the "View" button to see the request and then you can choose to add the friend or cancel the request.

There's also a new icon with two smiley faces that will have a red number showing how many requests you have. Tapping the icon, will show you the requests and current viewers, and you can invite any user to join the live session.

Once the live session is over, like always you can either share the video to stories or choose to "Discard", and it will disappear from the app.

These updates are available as part of Instagram version 24 available for iOS in the Apple App Store and for Android in Google Play. 

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