Twitch is finally allowing the viewers to rewind and pause streams through its new rewind feature, but whether you can actually use this much-requested feature will depend on multiple factors including your account status and the streamer’s settings.
Rewinding streams isn’t necessarily a must-have feature for livestremaing, which explains why Twitch managed to go without it for so many years. But for fans watching longer broadcasts, missing even a small moment meant they had no choice but to wait until the stream was over to see it again. And for those watching esports broadcasts, rewinding to critical momets in live games has to this point been impossible. By contrast, Twitch competitors Kick included rewind from the very beginning, making it clear to viewers just how convenient and useful the option really is. YouTube has had the option for some time as well.
Now, after years of waiting, Twitch has finally enabled the stream rewind feature, but not everyone can use it just yet.
Only Twitch partners and affiliate broadcasts can enable Twitch rewind on their channels at the moment. Even then, the rewind feature will only be available to Twitch Turbo users and channel subscribers. The feature hasn’t yet been released to the general public, or to streams from creators who aren’t partnered.
Twitch partners can earn money from ad revenue. Image credit: Twitch
Rewind is available to all Turbo users and channel subscribers, but streamers will still has the final say. Rewind isn’t turned on by default, meaning streamers can decide whether or not their viewers have the option to use it.
Partnered streamers who want their subscribers to be able to rewind can enable Twitch rewind from the settings:
This will immediately enable rewind for all subscribers and Turbo users, but the streamer can always turn the option back off later. This is similar to how streamers can choose to enable to disable the ability to generate Twich clips on their streams.
It’s worth noting that who gets access to stream rewind depends entirely on the streamer’s channel settings. If a channel has subscriber ad-free viewing disabled, only Twitch Turbo subscribers can rewind the stream. If the streamer has subs-only archives enabled, then only the channel’s own subscribers get access to rewind, while Turbo users are left out. In cases where both settings are turned on, then both groups can use stream rewind.
That means even with a Twitch Turbo subscription, you won’t have access to Twitch rewind on every stream. There’s also no assurance you’ll be able to use it on your favorite streamer’s channel, since they can choose to keep the feature disabled even for subscribers. In the end, neither option guarantees consistent access to the feature as currently implemented.
It would seem that this limitation is only temporary, as Twitch has claimed the feature will eventually be rolled out to all users. Right now, the platform’s system for handling ads is what it says is holding back a full release. Since Turbo subscribers and channel subscribers already get an ad-free experience, it’s far simpler for Twitch to let those users access rewind without it disrupting the platform’s ad delivery system.
Featured image credit: Twitch
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
