The Clubhouse app experienced a surge in popularity right after its launch and is still one of the popular social audio apps. After it reinvented itself in 2023 to be more like a messaging app (audio message sharing), it has found a new level of popularity. More people are discovering its value as it provides the perfect break from photos and short video apps like TikTok and Instagram. It lost the quick fame it garnered, but when it comes to voice-based social apps, it still reigns on the top spot.
It suddenly took off when celebrities like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates appeared in Clubhouse rooms in its initial days. The audio talk/chat app gives a different experience than other social media platforms while providing high-quality discussions and high-class content from various groups. Here are five key points about the app you need to know.
Clubhouse app is a voice-only platform
At Clubhouse, each user has a profile picture, but there are no videos, posts or DMs. Users speak on their iPhones, and as they can't see each other, it is much like listening in on a phone call. There is no professional editing, and users don't hear any sound effects or transitions.
Conversations are flexible and may consist of a large group discussion or a one-on-one between friends. People don't only listen to conversations. There is also a "raise your hand" function, and it is up to the moderator in the room to let people speak or not.
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Invite-only exclusivity makes the app popular
Clubhouse launched in March 2020, and its invite-only exclusivity meant that it was a small community in the early days, mainly composed of venture capitalists. Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen were early investors and users. The Clubhouse was quickly worth about $100 million but had only 1,500 users in the early days and was once valued to be worth $4 billion by Twitter.
Clubhouse voice-chat application is now open to many more people, but users need an existing Clubhouse member's invitation to gain access. Users receive two invites when they join, and they can earn more by being active in rooms and hosting.
A name and phone number are required for registration
To register, the Clubhouse app requires a phone number and a name. The person extending the invitation to someone else needs a phone number for that person. With the invite, the user gets a link via text and can sign in using the phone number.
Clubhouse application can pull a profile pic from a user's Twitter account and also gives the option of linking contacts to make it easier to find people to follow. Once users log in, they verify their email address with the service to reconnect if there's a problem.
No limit on topics on this voice-based social media app
When a user gets access, the app offers a page full of conversational topics to follow. Sports, politics, faith, music, and technology are just some of these topics. In each topic category, there are people interested in the topic users can follow. By following topics and people, users receive suggestions for rooms that interest them. Users are free to discuss any topic on their minds as long as they follow community guidelines. They can hop in and out of rooms as they please.
Available only on iPhones initially, it’s now on Android too
Initially, the best voice-based social media app Clubhouse was available for download on iPhones only, but the Clubhouse Android app launched soon to expand its user base. Every iPhone or Android user can download the app to listen to conversations and participate. The app does not work optimally on iPads.
The Clubhouse app developers decided to start on iPhone because they wanted to scale up slowly, and there are fewer iPhone users worldwide. The Clubhouse servers might not have coped with having a celebrity in a room if the developers had started Android. When Elon Musk popped into a room, he drew over 5,000 people and broke the room limit.
