Clubhouse rolls out beta app on Android

Clubhouse has released a beta version of its app on Android devices, more than a year after it first arrived on iOS.

The social media company announced the rollout on 9 May.

Despite being invite-only, the app experienced major growth in its first year and has become popular for hosting audio chatrooms.

“With Android, we believe that Clubhouse will feel more complete,” Clubhouse said in a statement.

“We are so grateful to all of the Android users out there for their patience.”

Why is Clubhouse coming to Android a big deal?

Clubhouse was first launched on iOS in March 2020.

The app allows users to create and host audio channels with up to 5 000 guests. Users can also plan and schedule events on the app.

The app is invite-only, meaning that new users can only join if they are invited by an existing user. This, combined with the fact it was only available on iOS devices, made Clubhouse an exclusive app to join.

According to analytics firm App Annie, Clubhouse had achieved over 8 million downloads by mid-February 2021.

Clubhouse said the app’s invite and waitlist system will continue on Android. However, it will open the app up further to accommodate the waitlist. It will also expand language support and accessibility features in the coming future.

The app’s popularity prompted other social media companies to develop their own social audio features.

In March, Twitter introduced its Spaces feature to Android devices.

In April, Facebook rolled out Live Audio Rooms for groups and is busy testing a new business-oriented Q&A app called Hotline.

Also in April, Clubhouse teamed with payment company Stripe to offer app monetisation features.

Users can send money to creators using a registered credit or debit card. Clubhouse doesn’t take a cut from payments but Stripe charges users a card processing fee.

When and where is the Android app available?

Clubhouse for Android is currently only available in the US. The company said it will roll the app out to other English-speaking regions in the coming weeks.

Android users who are interested can pre-register on the Google Play Store.

If you pre-register, you will be notified when the app becomes available in your region. You can also enable auto-download for the app.

Feature image: Unsplash/William Krause 

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