Clubhouse Archives - Gizmochina

Clubhouse is Making Big Changes to its Platform to Win Back Users

Anubhav — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 03:26:02 +0000

Clubhouse is changing how it works to get more people talking on the app again. The social media platform, once super popular for its public audio chats, is now focusing on smaller, friend-based groups. They’re calling these groups “chats,” where you can leave voice messages for people you know and their friends. It’s kind of like Snapchat but for voice.

Including a text-based conversation channel will be a big hit-or-miss for the company

Clubhouse is also ending its text message feature. Now, if you want to send a private note, you’ll record a voice message, or what the app is calling a “voicemail.”

This shift comes after Clubhouse lost a lot of users. Millions of people joined the app during the pandemic, but numbers went down when life started returning to normal. Earlier this year, the company even had to let go of half its staff, also happening to a lot of other companies.

So, what’s the goal here? Clubhouse says it’s all about having real talks and making new friends. They believe people want a more personal way to connect online. But there’s some risk. Will people come back to Clubhouse for this new experience? The company is taking a “big bet” and hopes it will pay off.

The big question is whether these changes will make Clubhouse popular again. It’s a bold move, and the company knows it. Time will tell if it works.

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Clubhouse increases its focus on India, brings ‘Creator First’ Funding

Sean — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 07:36:09 +0000

Clubhouse had recently launched its app on the Android platform after only being available for iOS. Now, it is bringing its ‘Creator First’ funding to India, to better cater to the Indian creators and expands its presence in the country.

Since its launch on Android, the audio chatroom has brought in over 4 million users and has been increasing its focus on India as Android is the most popular OS in the region. The ‘Creator First’ programme was initially launched in the US back in March, earlier this year. Now, the company has brought this funding to India for selected programmes from Indian creators specifically.

This will help the Indian creators to help spread their ideas and creativity to a broader audience. Furthermore, the fund has also be been specifically tailored for the unique needs of the Indian audience, as per the company. At the moment, the application for participating in the programme is currently open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with the first window closing on 16th July 2021.

The Clubhouse Head of International Aarthi Ramamurthy added in an official blogpost, “By participating in Clubhouse Creator First in India, we will help you with production and creative development, help you promote your show, and provide financial support via matching you with brands or a monthly stipend.” For those unaware, this funding offers users in the US a stipend of at least 5,000 US Dollars per month.

The company has assured that it would also offer stipends in India, although, the exact details and amount has yet to be revealed. Aarthi further added that “n India, over the last few weeks, we’ve seen rooms on cricket, on music (including really fun Antakshari rooms!), rooms on gaming and contests, rooms on religion and prayer, and so much more. We are so excited to see what creators from across India will bring to the table.”

Clubhouse for Android (beta) finally available globally on Google Play Store

Jed John Ikoba — Sat, 22 May 2021 11:07:05 +0000

Popular audio sharing, invitation-only social platform Clubhouse has now successfully rolled out the beta version of the popular app to Android users globally. This comes on the heels of a similar rollout to Android users in the US last week. After the release of the Clubhouse Android beta in the US, the company had hinted at a speedy rollout to other English-speaking countries and other parts of the world. Users in Brazil, Japan, and Russia were given the opportunity this week to access the app and provide feedback on its performance and overall expectations.

The Clubhouse app was at inception, only available on iOS devices, where it had gained prominence even in countries with strict regulatory controls. It has also suffered bans in some countries. However, the company continues to reinvent itself to remain relevant in the space amidst stiff competition from other apps which have cropped up after Clubhouse.

The app is now available for download from the Google Play Store. However, it is still in beta stage meaning you might still a few glitches here and there but on the whole, this is a good development. Unfortunately, a new user will need an invitation from already registered users to sign up for the app.

Since the release of the beta version last week, there had been three updates of the app, indicating robust feedback from the testing community. There will also be some additional features on the app when the full version is released. The market for Android is growing rapidly, and a successful unveiling of the Clubhouse for Android could mark further expansion of the app, possibly eclipsing the number of iOS users over time.

Google Play remains the most popular app store for smartphones. Earlier this week, Google had revealed at the 2021 Google I/O event that there are over 3 billion active Android devices that access the Play Store. This is more than three times the figure for iOS at just over a billion active devices.

Clubhouse finally launches its Android app, beta version available only in the US

Jed John Ikoba — Tue, 11 May 2021 03:05:27 +0000

The much-awaited Clubhouse app for Android can now be downloaded from Google’s Play Store. The beta version of the Android app has just been released. However, it seems that the app is only available for users in the United States for now. The rollout will, after that, target English-speaking countries, and then, the rest of the world would follow next.

Rumors had surrounded the extension of the app to Android. When the app was unveiled in 2020, it was only available on iOS, and there has been much debate on the need to have an Android version. The Clubhouse app is a popular app, with millions of users latching on to the audio-chat, invitation-only app.

The company began developing the Android app early in the year. Several tweets from inside sources and experts indicated that the Beta version would be available within May. And a confirmation has now been made that the Android app is now available on the Play Store.

Clubhouse app will use the critical feedback from the Beta version to fix all the problems it had observed before the release of the Android app.

The success of the Clubhouse iOS platform had seen a proliferation of similar apps by Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others. Multiple reports have indicated that the popularity of the app has declined in recent months. The release of the Android app will galvanize more users to pick the app. In comparison with its successful iOS app, the Android version lacks a few features, and we would expect this to be addressed by Clubhouse moving forward.

The chat app has endured some censorship in parts of the world, as it quickly became a platform for people to ventilate their grievances in their own words.

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Clubhouse Android version now in closed beta ahead of its full release

Jed John Ikoba — Mon, 03 May 2021 16:27:31 +0000

Last month, we reported that Clubhouse Co-founder Paul Davidson hinted that the Android version of the popular app will be released in May. Also, Clubhouse Android app developer Mopewa Ogundipe had given a teaser of the upcoming Android version.

A recent blog shared by Clubhouse has indicated that the audio-chat, invitation-only iOS app will soon be operational on Android, as closed beta testing of the app has begun. Earlier in January, Clubhouse had announced that it has started work on the development of an Android app with a part of the funds available through its recent funding support from Andreessen Horowitz.

The display of the Clubhouse app on the beta channel is an indication of the massive progress made by the company since it began the development of the infrastructure and technology for its Android version of the popular iOS app. The blog post also provided details of some modifications introduced into the iOS app. However, the main information was the announcement that it has started a rollout of the beta version of the Android app to some testers, which will be scaled up in subsequent stages in the coming weeks. Although no timeline was provided on the date of the actual Android rollout, we are certain that it would be in the coming weeks and has begun beta testing already.

Since the unveiling of Clubhouse last year, several social media platforms have pursued the development of alternative apps to rival the popular app. It has also led to censure in parts of the world, as the app provides a platform for the voiceless to be heard in their voices. This versatility is now being extended to the Android ecosystem and the outlook looks promising for Clubhouse.

Facebook to compete with Clubhouse with its own upcoming Audio products

Sean — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 12:02:40 +0000

Mark Zuckerbeg, CEO of Facebook announced earlier this week that the company is planning on launching several new audio products. These products will be similar to the popular app Clubhouse, and will compete in the same market.

According to a Reuters report, the social media tech giant’s plans on entering the audio market arrives after the recent booming success of Clubhouse. For those unaware, Clubhouse is an app that offers live audio rooms and a way for users to find and play podcasts. Notably, the app has even seen billionaires and celebrities like Tesla CEO Elon Musk join in to chat. At the moment, the downloads of Clubhouse app, which is only available on Apple iOS devices, saw a fall of 70 percent back in March over February.

Zuckerberg also added that Facebook plans on launching features including short form audio clips called “Soundbites” in the coming months. Furthermore, it also plans to unveil ways to create sound effects or improve audio quality. The company is currently testing live audio rooms, which is expected to launch later this year. Additionally, the social media based firm will also look to “treat audio as a first-class medium in the way that we would photos or video.”

The explosive growth of the Clubhouse app has showcased the massive potential audio based chat services. However, the application’s longevity is a concern especially after the sharp decline of its downloads in recent times. Similarly, Tw itter is also currently testing its own live audio feature called Spaces, along with new features from Discord, LinkedIn, Slack, and Spotify Technology.

Clubhouse Android version may be released by May, co-founder hints

Jed John Ikoba — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 05:25:04 +0000

There are strong indications that the audio chat app Clubhouse could soon unveil its Android version, thus opening access to millions of potential app users. Currently, the top-rated audio app is only available for iOS. Clubhouse co-founder Paul Davidson had hinted in February that the company was in an advanced state of development. This has been further confirmed today with an interview conducted by CNBC and New York Times. Davidson and his co-interviewee, Microsoft’s Bill Gates discussed a raft of issues that veered into an ongoing Android version development of the Clubhouse app.

Further indication that the Android version of the fast-rising app is really on the track came from a couple of tweets from an app developer at Clubhouse, Mopewa Ogundipe, who gave a teaser on the incoming Android version, and Morgan Evetts, who projects that the actual launch of the Android app could be as early as May 2021.

Mopewa has been working on the Clubhouse Android app for around six weeks now, and it’s coming on nicely

Rough release date: May https://t.co/jI63NPw2Od

— Morgan Evetts (@morqon) April 11, 2021

Clubhouse app has had a massive hit since its release on iOS. Davidson has hinted that the Android version’s development is a top priority, as the company pursues a scaling of its growth numbers and ultimately revenue through app expansion. Indeed, the growth of Clubhouse globally has been phenomenal. Several brands within and outside China launch their alternative versions of the audio chat platform, including Twitter and ByteDance, owner of popular video-sharing social networking site TikTok.

It is not known why Clubhouse had delayed this long before making plans to launch an Android version of the app since its iOS unveiling. Twitter is developing a similar app called spaces, compatible with both iOS devices and Android.

Fake ads of a PC version of Clubhouse has been spreading malware

Sean — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 11:03:32 +0000

With the recent and explosive growth of Clubhouse app, fake versions of the application has been spreading around via fake ads. These ads have also been responsible for the increasing number of malware infections.

According to a PhoneArena report, the rising popularity is what likely lead to the creation of these fake ads of a non existent Clubhouse app. For those unaware, Clubhouse is only available in Apple iOS at the moment. Meaning, the Android version is still a few months away. But since the app has been quite popular in recent times, fake ads of its non existent versions, which is filed with malware has been circulating online.

For those unaware, the audio only chat room has become a rising social media platform over the course of a year. But, certain Facebook ads have been connecting users to pages on the social media site that impersonate the app. If people click on these ads, they will be directed to a fake Clubhouse PC website. When tapped, the link is also included with malware, which is downloaded into the victim’s device.

This app seeks instructions from a C&C (command and control) server as to what action to take next. Some of the people that clicked on the fake ads had their device be loaded with ransomware. In other words, victims would have to pay money for the infected device to function normally again. While Facebook hasn’t revealed the exact number of clicks on these fake ads, nine of these ads were discovered on the social media platform.

Twitter held talks to acquire Clubhouse for a $4 billion deal: Report

Sean — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 09:34:22 +0000

Twitter Inc apparently held discussions in recent months to buy out Clubhouse. The company is planning on acquiring the audio-based social network platform for a sum of 4 billion US Dollars.

According to a Bloomberg report, the social media giant is apparently looking to acquire Clubhouse for the large sum, as per sources close to the matter. These sources added that the discussions have reportedly found a potential valuation of roughly around 4 billion US Dollars. Although, the discussions are no longer ongoing. Unfortunately, it is unknown why the talks have stalled at the moment.

The report also adds that a spokesperson from Twitter declined to comment on the matter. Similarly, a Clubhouse representative has also yet to respond to any requests for a comment. It was recently also revealed that Clubhouse was in talks to raise funding from investors worth 4 billion US Dollars. So after the talks with Twitter ended the social media network is likely to explore raising finances at a round valuation. For those unaware, Clubhouse is an app that lets users host their own online radio shows, where other listeners can tune it to hear interviews or discussions and even participate in a live chat.

Despite the platform being only a year old, it has drawn appearances from some of the biggest personalities in both business and Hollywood as well. It was quickly established as a new and upcoming platform, with other major social media giants also working on launching their own versions of Clubhouse. This includes Microsoft, LinkedIn, Slack, and even Twitter as well to work on similar features.

Lizhi partners with Tesla-rival Xpeng to bring Clubhouse-like Live-stream podcast in-car

Jed John Ikoba — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 14:55:47 +0000

The race for the ultimate electric car continues to interest industry watchers as electric vehicle manufacturers continue to explore more ways to remain unique while providing maximum entertainment to the growing customer base of EV users. Chinese-owned electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng Motors has partnered with Lizhi, a leading podcast app provider, to install an audio feature in Xpeng’s electric cars called live-stream podcast, which bears similarities to the Clubhouse app. The interactive audio element in Xpeng’s electric vehicles is bound to catch the fancy of several potential buyers in the world’s largest car market.

Lizhi is one of China’s biggest podcast apps providers and has another app called Tiya for its overseas market. Lizhi is listed on the US Nasdaq and is a fast-growing audio tech firm. The live-stream podcast feature will be implemented on the electric vehicle’s in-car operating system interactively. It will allow users to have real-time conversations in-car as well as via mobile platforms. The feature will also leverage its access to top content creators, who will interact with podcast listeners in real-time, Lizhi added.

The partnership between Lizhi and Xpeng, both Guangzhou-based fast-rising companies, will enhance the appeal of Xpeng’s electric vehicle offerings, uniquely providing interactive audio capability. Many EV manufacturers, including Tesla, have made substantial investments in intelligent interactive entertainment systems for the new generation electric cars.

Electric vehicles are fast becoming the automobile market’s rave as traditional carmakers continue to transit into EV production. The world’s largest auto market has also seen a surge in EV manufacturers making inroads into the Chinese market. Climate change and energy efficiency considerations continue to draw new customers into the EV market in China and the government continues to provide incentives for the production and sales of EVs.

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ByteDance is reportedly in the race to develop a Clubhouse-like app but for China

Jed John Ikoba — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 22:04:03 +0000

A buzzword in the global social networking firmament is audio chat, as several of the big players in the space are introducing audio chat service into their functionality spurred by the overnight success of Clubhouse. Just this week, Twitter announced the incorporation of Spaces into its Android app so that Android users could enjoy the audio chat feature, as well as users of iOS devices. However, Clubhouse remains the trailblazer in this regard and all others are on a catch-up race.

Now, reports coming from China say that TikTok owner ByteDance is already at an advanced stage of developing an audio chat app that seeks to replicate the Clubhouse app which is banned from China. It is quite obvious that US-owned Clubhouse has been a huge success, and this may have propelled a rash of development of Clubhouse-like audio chat platforms across the world.

It is even estimated that within the first quarter of 2021, up to a dozen Clubhouse-like apps have been launched. A number of these apps are coming from China, where there is a rush to fill the void left behind by Clubhouse after it was banned in February 2021. Clubhouse had witnessed a rapid rise in numbers as it afforded users to ventilate their views without fear of censorship or repercussions on a number of issues not openly canvassed in the country.

Censorship considerations will be a critical part of the China-based audio chat apps, as politics and several other areas will be out of bounds.

Some of the frontrunners in China include Lizhi’s Zhiya app and Xiaomi’s Mi Talk app, which had undergone some retooling to make it an invitation-only platform and enhanced holding capacity. The Zhiya app had earlier found itself on the wrong side of the government and has now put in place several protocols to identify all users and even listen to conversations in rooms to remove offending contents.

Xiaomi relaunches MiTalk as a Clubhouse clone for Android and iOS in China

Sudarshan Ravichandran — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 09:09:24 +0000

Clubhouse is an audio-based social media introduced in April 2020. But the app went mainstream in January 2021 when Elon Musk gave an interview on the platform. As its popularity rose, social media giants like Facebook and Twitter started prepping their alternatives. In fact, Twitter is already testing its solution called ‘Twitter Spaces’. Additionally, there are already several Clubhouse clones from different companies around the world. Now, Xiaomi has also officially joined this bandwagon.

For those unaware, Xiaomi had released an instant messaging app called MiTalk back in November 2010. This was even before the birth of WeChat in China. But unfortunately, the smartphone maker’s messaging platform never really took off. Therefore, the company finally shuttered its operations on February 19, 2021.

But to everyone’s surprise, on February 26, Xiaomi revived this application as a Clubhouse clone in China. As per netizens, the company reportedly published this new app on the Apple App Store and the Mi App Store with the name ‘Jushou’ (Hands Up) on the same day as the original MiTalk app was discontinued.

However, with the official announcement of MiTalk’s revival, the application’s listing on the app stores was changed accordingly. As per the official website, the new MiTalk is a ‘voice chat app for professionals’. The description clearly screams that it is a Clubhouse clone.

MiTalk Description (Translated)

MiTalk, start again.

The new “MiTalk” is a voice chat app for professionals. Here, you can hear the sharing and insights of professionals in various industries, and you can also raise your hands to participate in the sharing; at the same time, you can create topics of interest to you, communicate and collide ideas with friends and colleagues.

At present, we are in the small-scale invitation closed beta phase. The public beta time will be synchronized on the official website in the future. Thank you for your attention.

At present, only Xiaomi employees in China can use this app with their company registered contact number as well as invite code. But the application should be available for the general public (only China) very soon. Interested users will still require an invite code nonetheless.

That said, though MiTalk is a clone of Clubhouse, it is available on both Android and iOS app stores right from its launch. And with the original Clubhouse being banned in China, there might be a chance for Xiaomi to tap into this new market.

But it is worth noting that there are already multiple local Clubhouse competitors in China like Dizhua, Tiya, and Yalla. So we’ll have to wait and see how the app fares in the Chinese market.

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Clubhouse has recorded over 8 million downloads on the App Store

Jed John Ikoba — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 15:13:11 +0000

Social networking app Clubhouse became a street session recently when it started courting increasing interests. The growing popularity of the app has even prompted social media giants Twitter and Facebook to commence work on similar features. Although the app is exclusive to iOS at the moment, that has not slowed down its popularity.

A research firm App Annie has released data that shows that the Clubhouse app has seen over 8.1 million downloads globally so far as of February 16. What makes the surprising is that as of February 1, the app had only been downloaded 3.5 million times. Thus, the number of users grew by more than 100% within a 16-day period.

The research reveals that the app’s popularity is widespread in the UK, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Turkey. However, that doesn’t explain the sudden exponential growth. What we can suggest is responsible for the high numbers may be the growing number of influential personalities that have been shown to use the app such as Tesla founder Elon Musk and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, both of whom have already created a Clubhouse account and interacted with other users on the app. There are several other high-profile personalities and celebrities who constantly interact with other users using the new app.

The Clubhouse app is a unique social networking app that is based entirely on audio chats. The app allows users to create and join rooms populated with other people who can all interact with each other in real-time. Privacy isn’t an issue as it is not possible to record the conversations.

The company is reportedly working hard to make the app available in a stable version and also to allow more users to register without an invitation. Clubhouse is also looking to roll out the app for Android users.

Twitter expands testing of “Spaces” feature including a few users in India

Balaji S — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 15:07:56 +0000

Amidst facing a lot of hiccups, Twitter never fails to update the features of its App. Today, it has started expanding the testing of one such ‘Twitter Spaces’ including a few users in India. This feature looks like a Clubhouse alternative and should give a tough fight to the invitation-only app soon.

Twitter has expanded the testing of the “Spaces” feature. For the unaware, this was first rolled out to Beta Testers back in December. It is a virtual audio chat room. Just like the currently popular Clubhouse, it enables users to join a voice chat or host one on the App.

It is actually powered by the Periscope, which is again a video streaming platform acquired by Twitter in 2015. Initially, the “Spaces” feature was available for a very limited number of users as a part of Beta testing. However, Twitter has confirmed to Techradar that it is expanding the testing phase including a few users in India for feedback before wider rollout.

Besides, Alpha Exploration Co.’s Clubhouse is based on an invite system and is currently limited to iOS. Although its Android version is coming this year, Twitter Spaces could swoop in before and capture the user base. That is, it is working for both Android, iOS users simultaneously and has now increased the user base to 3,000 more people after an initial count of 1,000.

Android gang…we haven't forgotten about you

@af_mada pic.twitter.com/SLaE1bXZUz

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) January 29, 2021

Basically, every Beta Tester would start a Public/Private Voice Room. Any Twitter user, following him, can listen to the audio inside the room. Inside the App, at the Twitter Fleet section, the Host icon with a Violet color ring and Voice icon will appear. Clicking on it shows two options- Listener, and Speaker.

It also shows the members inside the room and their designations. After clicking the option, you can either turn your mic on/off, send stickers, view transcriptions inside the space, and more.