It’s amazing that given social media app Clubhouse’s popularity right now, it’s still only available for iOS users. Those on Android that have been waiting for the audio chat app to come to their devices might be getting it soon. The developers have now announced that they are finally starting beta tests for selected Android users. Earlier this year, they announced that they have been able to secure a second round of funding so it’s no surprise that they are now hard at work in developing the Android app to get a bigger slice of the pie for this growing market.
Clubhouse is an audio-only social media app that has grown in popularity during the pandemic as an alternative to video conferencing apps. Its popularity may be because it removes the pressure of being camera-ready and it also uses up lower bandwidth than apps like Zoom, Facebook Live, Google Meet, etc. It’s become so popular that some of the bigger social media platforms have come up with their own version like Twitter Spaces, Telegram’s Voice Chat 2.0, and Facebook’s upcoming Live Rooms.
The Android version is not yet live for everyone but they have started rolling out a “rough beta version” to some selected testers. The iOS version is actually by invite only which may have added to the exclusivity allure of the app. Clubhouse says they will be welcoming more Android users over the next few weeks so we might see a bigger beta rollout soon. They will probably be doing a by invite thing as well here.
They have also announced some slight improvements to the iOS app. Those who join rooms and stay for more than a few minutes will now get a prompt to follow the club so they will be notified when there’s a new room. There are more improvements for improved discovery, notification quality, and abuse prevention. Users can also now use the “Magic Tap” gesture within a room to know who’s currently speaking.
There is no announcement yet on a specific timeline as to when we can expect an actual Android app. We’ll probably know more about it as it expands its beta rollout.
