How to Find Lives on Instagram

Going live on Instagram is a great way to increase your engagement rate and following, as it draws users towards…

Going live on Instagram is a great way to increase your engagement rate and following, as it draws users towards your account and involves them in your content as it is being shared – whether they follow you already or not.

Up until 2021, an IGTV icon took users directly to whatever was being shared by accounts that they followed, or that Instagram thought they might like to engage with. While the IGTV shortcut has now been removed from Instagram, you can still find live shares and streams with ease – using the following options.

1. A Live Stream From an Account That You Follow

If an account that you already follow starts an Instagram live stream, then this will automatically jump to the front of your story updates on your homepage.

Along the top of the screen, you will see all the profile pictures of users who have recently updated their stories. This is often shown in an order based on engagement and the accounts that you interact with the most frequently – though Lives will automatically jump to the front of the list.

These are indicated with a colourful outline and ‘Live’ in the corner of the round profile picture.

Clicking on that Live will take you directly into the Live stream.]

You can also set up a notification feature which lets you know when an account that you follow is going live. To do this, access your Settings menu on the Instagram and navigate to Notification, then ‘Lives and Reels’. Turn on the notifications for Live Videos.

2. A Random Live Stream

If you’re interested in a particular topic and want to see if someone is currently sharing a live stream based on that topic or industry, then you can do so using the Search function on Instagram.

How to Find Lives on Instagram 1

Click on the magnifying glass icon along the bottom of your screen, then search for a specific word or industry in the search bar. Click ‘Search’ to bring up a series of suggested posts – then select ‘Accounts’ along the top of the screen just under the search bar.

How to Find Lives on Instagram 2

As you scroll down the list, any accounts that are currently sharing a Live Stream will be indicated with that same ‘Live’ label.

This is very much a case of trial and error, as you won’t always find that an account is sharing Live content at the time of searching. If there is a specific account that often shares Lives that you know you want to see, make sure that you are following them and turn on your Live notifications as shared above.

Want a quick Instagram surge? Turn to Twicsy for likes, followers, comments, and views.