For many, the exclusivity of Clubhouse’s initial invite-only approach, and the way that the app started out only being available to iOS users, was appealing – it wasn’t for everyone, so if you were in, you were lucky. However, in May, Clubhouse became available for Android users as well as iOS users.
From the beginning, it was always in the plans for the app to become available on Android. For the app, finally launching this migration in May, after a period of dramatic decrease in app downloads, presented an opportunity to boost the startups’ reach across the globe.
This month, Clubhouse stated that since the launch of its Android app, 10 million new users have joined the app – showing explosive growth.
Clubhouse is out of beta
The usership of Clubhouse now has the potential to make another boom, as finally, the app is out of beta. This is a move that was also always intended since the app’s initial launch.
Now that the app is out of beta, this means that the waitlist system has been removed so that anyone can join.
In a blog post, the founders of the app, Paul Davison and Rohan Seth said: “The invite system has been an important part of our early history. By adding people in waves, welcoming new faces each week in our Wednesday Orientations, and talking with the community each Sunday in Town Hall, we’ve been able to grow Clubhouse in a measured way, and (mostly) keep things from breaking as we’ve scaled.
“But we’ve always wanted Clubhouse to be open. Everyone in the world should have access to meaningful conversations. And the best rooms on Clubhouse are the ones where you meet people from far outside your social circle, with very different views and lived experiences, who change your perspective on the world.”
You may also notice that after 16 months, Clubhouse now has an official logo, designed by Justin “Meezy” Williams. The waving icon represents the Clubhouse community.
TED Talks comes to Clubhouse
Not only have there been changes to the structure of the app, but Clubhouse has also embarked on a new partnership which it predicts will trigger multiple rooms. This partnership is with TED, known for hosting engaging and insightful speeches in video format. The two entities have now come together to present TED Talks on Clubhouse – TED have started to host a series of rooms on their Clubhouse channel, the official TED Club in the app.
Clubhouses’ role in the partnership will be to provide interactive and social elements to TED’s content, while the app users will be able to engage with other audience members live and ask questions. Creators participating in the official TED Club will have the same creative control and ownership over their content as all other creators on Clubhouse.
So after a period of the hype dying down, the new format of the app, along with new partnerships and collaboration to produce even more high-quality content, perhaps Clubhouse will make a comeback as the place to be online.
