Twitter’s Clubhouse clone, ‘Spaces,’ is now open to Android users.
The Spaces Twitter account (@TwitterSpaces) shared a tweet noting that the Spaces beta would arrive on Android and allow users to join and talk in any Space. The post also encourages users to “keep your 👀 out for live Spaces above your home [timeline].”
Android folks, our beta is growing! starting today you will be able to join and talk in any Space. SOON you’ll be able to create your own but we’re still working out some things. keep your 👀 out for live Spaces above your home tl
— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) March 2, 2021
However, the ability to create Spaces will remain limited while Twitter continues “working out some things,” although the company says the capability is coming soon.
Twitter first launched its Spaces beta on iOS back in January. The beta allows anyone to join Spaces but restricts who can host them. At the time, Twitter said it would give Spaces to a “small feedback group.” The Verge notes that Twitter said it would prioritize women and people from other marginalized groups with the feedback group.
It seems that Twitter is approaching Spaces with more intention than it has with other features. For example, a report from December suggested that moderation was a focus for Spaces. Considering Clubhouse had some significant issues with moderation, it’s good to see Twitter focusing on that.
Twitter’s intentionality with Spaces differs from some of its past forays into audio features.
Audio tweets, which debuted last June, were criticized for not including captions for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Twitter later apologized, said it was working on ways to incorporate both manual and automated transcriptions and announced plans to create a dedicated group to focus on accessibility.
