Live-audio app Clubhouse is launching on Google’s Android, more than a year after its initial launch.
The invitation-only platform has previously been available on only Apple’s App Store, where downloads have significantly fallen. The app spiked in popularity this year, with celebrities using the service and invitations being sold online, reports BBC.
But many are questioning its long-term viability, after competitors Facebook and Twitter launched copycat features.
Clubhouse said it was testing the app for users in the US initially, with UK and other English-speaking countries to follow “in the coming days”.
“Our plan over the next few weeks is to collect feedback from the community, fix any issues we see and work to add a few final features like payments and club creation before rolling it out more broadly,” the technology company blogged .
It thanked Android users for their patience and said the app would be rolled out to the rest of the world during the next few weeks and users outside the US could register to receive a notification when it was available in their area.
“People can now have the best of both worlds on the platforms they know and trust, rather than jumping between multiple social networks,” South Coast Social social-media agency founder Clare Groombridge said.
All In content-creator agency founder Kevin Tewe said Clubhouse’s initial success had been due to people staying at home during the pandemic.
“Users soon realised it is always the same topics by the same people, who are selling themselves or getting deals for their agencies,” he said.
And the platform would become increasingly irrelevant as people were allowed to interact in person more.
