Clubhouse has announced that an android version of their audio social platform is now available. Although in limited beta for now, the voice-based social network has promised its users a wider launch soon.
Clubhouse saw good growth earlier this year but similar tech giants such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have already launched similar offerings which begs the question…
Is Clubhouse Too late?
According to Sensor Tower, Clubhouse suffered a 72% decrease in downloads in the month of March. As Clubhouse struggles to maintain consistent growth, data from Google Trends shows how interest has been steadily declining from February this year.
As voice has become a universal medium, the growing variety of audio social tools has become a widespread trend. The drop in numbers can be largely attributed to the lack of an android app coupled with rising competition. Some could argue that Clubhouse’s invite-only approach, fabricated to create FOMO, is doing more harm than good for their success. However, Clubhouse has informed us that the invite-only approach will still be in full force for the new android version:
“As a part of the effort to keep the growth measured, we will be continuing the waitlist and invite system, ensuring that each new community member can bring along a few close friends. As we head into the summer and continue to scale out the backend, we plan to begin opening up even further, welcoming millions more people in from the iOS waitlist, expanding language support, and adding more accessibility features, so that people worldwide can experience Clubhouse in a way that feels native to them.”
Twitter’s Spaces has been deemed one of Clubhouse’s biggest competitors, offering a very similar experience (available on Android already). As such, Clubhouse will have to refine their algorithm and offer creator incentives to keep up with bigger players. But again, will this be enough?
“With Android, we believe that Clubhouse will feel more complete. We are so grateful to all of the Android users out there for their patience. Whether you are a creator, a club organizer, or someone who just wants to explore, we are so excited to welcome you to the community.” –Clubhouse
