(Update: now out of beta) Meerkat beats Twitter's Periscope to Google Play, now available for all to download

Update, May 15:

Meerkat for Android is out of beta. Check it out in the Play Store.

Original post, May 1:

The official Meerkat (beta) application has finally made its way to the Play Store, letting Android users from all over the world stream live video directly to Twitter. The app has previously been available on Android in closed beta form, but now anyone who wants to try it out can get in on the fun.

For those unfamiliar, Meerkat is a way to easily stream live videos directly to Twitter. The app originally launched on iOS followed by Twitter’s own Periscope (that basically does the same thing), and both applications have seen great success on the platform. Now that Meerkat is available for all to download, Android users can finally join the live streaming craze that’s sweeping the internet.

Once you download the app and log in with your Twitter account, you’ll be able to easily stream your own videos, view other peoples’ streams, and take a look at the Meerkat leaderboard. The app is easy to use, but unfortunately suffers from a ton of release day bugs. The app is currently sitting at a poor 2.6/5 star rating on Google Play, with most users commenting that the app isn’t streaming videos properly. After all, this is a beta app on launch day, so expectations shouldn’t be too high to begin with.

If you’re interested in trying out Meerkat (beta), you can download it for free from the Google Play Store.