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, Twitter is also currently testing its own live audio feature called Spaces, along with new features from Discord, LinkedIn, Slack, and Spotify Technology.

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Recently, Twitter introduced a new feature named Spaces, which is an audio chat room, taking on the likes of Clubhouse. Earlier this month, the feature was made available for users of the Twitter Android app.

However, the feature is not yet available for everyone and is limited to select countries. The company has now confirmed that it is aiming to make the Spaces live audio feature available to all of its users by April.

Twitter started testing the feature for Android with around 1,000 users in late February and started rolling it out to more users around the world earlier this month. The company has said that for now, Android users will not be able to host spaces but will be able to join and talk in spaces. It also added that support for host spaces for Android users is coming.

As noted above, the feature enables users to create public and private audio chat rooms on the microblogging platform. The feature was first announced in December last year but had been limited to iOS only and is now expanding to more users.

Twitter says that these are early days for Spaces and the first priority for the company is to build moderation. This is why it is taking a cautious approach to bringing more features.

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Social networking giant Twitter has now introduced its Spaces audio chat room feature to its Android app, making it possible for Android users to join live Spaces from the top of their timeline while using the Android app. Twitter also says that Android users will soon be able to host their own spaces as well.

The expansion of Spaces into the Android universe is coming on the heels of further expansion of Twitter, as the company started testing voice DMs in the Indian subcontinent, Brazil, and Japan. These moves are expected to further position the social networking platform for greater functionality and customer retention.

The Spaces functionality is still under testing, therefore it is the beta version that is available on Android, but Twitter users on Android would not need to install the Twitter beta app in order to join a room. Rather, users will see the Live Spaces feature at the top of their timeline. 

For now, Android users will be unable to host their own Spaces, but Twitter has promised to incorporate this feature very soon. 

The clear opponent of Spaces is the Clubhouse and Twitter may have just pipped it in the race with the current Android rollout. Presently Clubhouse is only compatible with iOS, and will not allow users to join without being invited. Clubhouse co-founder Paul Davidson though has insisted that the Android version of the app is the “top feature” that his team is currently working on.

Twitter introduced Spaces as a “new social experience” in December 2020. It was initially limited to a “very small feedback group” of underrepresented voices and available only on iOS.

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(via)

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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.

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