Facebook reportedly working on streaming Android games

Facebook is reportedly working on a feature that will allow users to stream Android games straight from their phone via Facebook Live.

Tech blogger and app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who reverse-engineers apps in order to look for hidden and upcoming features, discovered that Facebook currently has a hidden feature where users can stream any games available to play on Android.

Facebook is working on streaming Android games pic.twitter.com/e5wSR0vezD

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) February 22, 2020

While it may not seem like the most exciting development, there’s a real chance this is just a stepping stone to see whether native game streaming on Facebook is a viable alternative to sites like Mixer and Twitch. If things work out with Android game streaming, Facebook could introduce something like iOS game streaming too.

Facebook Gaming isn’t a stranger to game streaming, though. Back in November 2019, the site managed to snap up streamer Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang who now streams exclusively through Facebook.

However, streaming does sometimes require people to have a special setup. For example, older laptops and computers can struggle to stream even the least demanding of indie games thanks to outdated hardware.

If Facebook allows native streaming of games from a device without the user having to download or set up any extras, this should eliminate the need to splash out on a fancy setup and breaks down some of the barriers standing between a user and streaming.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on where this is headed.