Just over a year ago, Facebook launched Mentions, one of its Creative Labs apps, for public figures. It’s basically a way for celebrities to better manage their Facebook presence and engage with fans.

The official description is: “A better way for actors, athletes, musicians and other influencers to stay in touch with their fans and the people and things they care about.”

Facebook recently announced an addition to the product, enabling users to broadcast live streaming video. “Tell your story as it happens with live video. Make an announcement, start a Q&A or just show your fans what’s happening in real time.”

In the media, this has largely been seen as Facebook’s answer to popular new apps like Periscope and Meerkat. But again, it’s only available to celebrities.

That changes “soon,” however. TechCrunch’s Josh Constine reports:

In replies to requests from Verified Pages about when they’d get access to the VIP-only Facebook app Mentions that houses Facebook Live, the company wrote “In the future, Mentions will be available to verified Profiles”. When I asked if that would include Facebook Live, it told me it plans to roll Mentions out to verified Profiles soon, which includes access to Live.

Facebook verifies celebrities, public figures, global brands and businesses, and media. If your page or profile isn’t verified, and you think it should be, there’s a form here that you can fill out to apply for verification.

So far, Mentions is still only available for iOS. It’s unclear if an Android version is on the way alongside expanded availability.

Image via Facebook