Clubhouse, which launched in 2020 as an audio-only app, is expanding its repertoire to include in-room chat.
The new feature, rolling out now to Android and iOS users, makes it easy to communicate with each other during a live room event.
“We know not everyone in the community wants to raise their hands and jump on stage to participate,” according to the Clubhouse announcement. “Many of you want a way to join in on the conversation from the comfort of the audience. And we get it—cause even on the internet, stage fright exists.”
Enter in-room chat, which invites everyone from mods to listeners to communicate via text during a live room. Creators can “bring engagement to the next level,” and get real-time feedback by conducting polls and sourcing questions while participants make song requests, share jokes, or react with emojis.
Creators retain full control over the chat, deciding whether to enable the feature at the start, turn it off mid-event, or delete messages during or after a session. They can also appoint mods to help “maintain the tone you want for your room,” removing posts and kicking out disruptive users, as necessary.
Audience members may choose to unpublish their own communiqué—be it over a typo or regrettable comment. It’s a useful option to have considering room chats are available alongside audio in the Replay function. If you believe someone is violating Clubhouse guidelines in the chat, simply long press on their name to report and block them.
If enabled, the chat bubble icon will appear in the bottom left of the screen (next to the Share and Clip symbols); tap or swipe right to access the conversation. A red dot and number will appear when there are new comments to read.
