After launching its Android app a week ago, social audio platform Clubhouse said Sunday it will roll out to more countries in the coming week. The Android app will be available in Brazil, Japan, and Russia on Tuesday, India and Nigeria by Friday, and the “rest of the world” throughout the week.
For the first year, Clubhouse was only available on iOS devices. Despite its early limited access Clubhouse grew to 10 million users in its inaugural year, and was recently valued at $4 billion after a new funding round. Whether it can keep up that momentum remains to be seen, as competitors Twitter’s Spaces, Discord’s Stage Channels, and other better-known social media platforms enter the audio market.
The startup started beta testing its Android app in the US on May 9th, just a few months after beginning development. The iPhone release has been available since March 2020.
There’s a strong incentive for Clubhouse to expand quickly, even if its Android app is still in testing. Facebook, Twitter and other internet giants are rolling out Clubhouse-like features in a bid to cut the app’s momentum and keep users on their social platforms. This could keep new users joining Clubhouse where they’d otherwise be tempted to stick to incumbent social networks.
