More than a year after its initial launch, Clubhouse has officially moved out of its beta phase, ditching its signature invite-only model for a more inviting structure that now allows any user to join a public livestream, follow Clubhouse links and hop into a creator’s community at any time.
Those currently on the waitlist will be added to the platform in the coming weeks, while new users will be able to automatically join beginning Wednesday morning.
“The invite system has been an important part of our early history,” Clubhouse founders Paul Davison and Rohan Seth said in a blog post. “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.”
Since January, the platform has experienced exponential growth — its number of daily rooms has increased from 50,000 to 500,000 over the course of six months, according to the post. And after launching on Android in mid-May, Clubhouse has added 10 million new users to its community.
“We suspect there will be many more ups and downs as we scale, and competition from the large networks will be fierce,” wrote Davison and Seth. “But we believe the future is created by optimists, and we’re excited to build something new on the Internet — a place based on human connection and lively conversations, where you always feel welcome and free to be yourself.”
Earlier this month, Clubhouse introduced the Backchannel messaging feature, which allows users to connect within the app without any third-party extension or other social media platforms through one-on-one or group chats via direct messages.
In another tech update, Instagram debuted a new feature that allows users to easily translate Stories into over 90 languages.
