Upon registration, Meerkat users had the choice to connect their Facebook and Twitter accounts, facilitating direct streaming to their followers immediately upon going live.

The app was launched in February 2015 and gained rapid popularity following its debut on the Product Hunt.

Meerkat was developed by Life On Air, Inc., a team led by founder and CEO Ben Rubin.

The company raised $12 million in venture capital funding from Greylock Partners in March 2015.

According to the creators, the new app, which "has been in development for 10 months, and moves away from public broadcasts in favour of private chats.