Clubhouse Finally Introduces An Android Version, But It Might Be Too Late
Clubhouse Finally Introduces an Android Version, but It Might Be Too Late
Clubhouse, a live audio-chat application, has finally launched an Android version.
Clubhouse is now available on Android, more than a year after the voice-based social network launched on iOS in March 2020.
Clubhouse is still in beta on Android and is only available to users in the United States at the moment. However, the company has stated that the app will be made available to additional users globally over the next few weeks.
“Today, we are thrilled to announce that Clubhouse for Android will immediately begin rolling out in beta. Clubhouse stated, "We will begin gradually, with the United States today, followed by other English-speaking countries and then the rest of the world."
Clubhouse's Android app development began earlier this year under the leadership of Nigerian software engineer Mopewa Ogundipe.
For the time being, Android users can download Clubhouse and pre-register to be notified when it becomes available in their area. According to Clubhouse, the launch of the product on Android was the most requested feature.
Of Exclusivity and Timing
Even for Android users, Clubhouse will retain its waitlist and invitation system, which lends the experience an air of exclusivity. However, does this truly attract users?
Clubhouse recorded 922,000 downloads globally in April, down 66% from 2.7 million in March and 90% from an all-time high of 9.6 million in February, according to Sensor Tower data.
The initial euphoria surrounding the app's launch has largely dissipated, despite the app's exclusivity for iOS users at the time. That fear of being left out of the conversation has vanished.
Additionally, Twitter's Spaces was launched at a time when Android users felt excluded from Clubhouse's plan. It has gained considerable traction and has already been expanded to include users with up to 600 followers on Twitter.
Since then, platforms such as Facebook and Microsoft's LinkedIn have begun developing similar audio features in order to compete in the space of live voice chat.
Numerous potential Android Clubhouse users have already registered on Twitter Spaces, including prominent startup founders and thought leaders.
Clubhouse has arrived late to the party it started
The social live audio-chat application recently closed an undisclosed Series C round valued at approximately $4 billion. This came weeks after it was revealed that Twitter was reportedly interested in purchasing the platform for the same price.
At the moment, Clubhouse for Android does not support payment and users cannot subscribe to a topic or edit their profiles. Clubhouse CEO Paul Rohan, however, has stated that these features will be fully integrated in the coming weeks.
“Over the next few weeks, we'll collect feedback from the community, address any issues that arise, and work on finishing touches like payments and club creation before rolling it out more broadly,” he explained.
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