Alongside the global rollout of Fleets, Twitter teased its upcoming audio chatrooms dubbed Spaces. The company has now started beta testing the feature with a ‘very small feedback group’ on iOS. For those that don’t know beta testing is where a company releases a software (or game) to a group of people who test it before it’s officially released. So for now Twitter Spaces is in testing.
The idea is – that sometimes 280 characters just isn’t enough.
Twitter has created a dedicated account for Spaces (@TwitterSpaces). Through this account, the company promises to share updates and insights into its audio-based chatrooms. The account currently has a thread sharing the current status of the feature.
With Spaces, users can create audio-only chatrooms that followers and other Twitter users can choose to join. Twitter says that Space creators will have full control over who can or cannot speak in the chatroom. To prevent abuse, Twitter is also bundling moderation features including reporting and blocking within Spaces.
As TechCrunch reports, you can either press and hold the compose button or access the Fleets page to create a Space. Creators can then invite people through DMs and invite links. Participants have the option to join as a speaker or a listener.
In an attempt to reduce confusion caused when multiple people speak at the same time, Twitter is offering the option to react using emojis. The reactions in question include the 100 (?), raised hand (??), raised fist (??), victory/peace sign (??), and a waving hand (??). You can check out what these features will look like right here:
Apart from these features, Twitter is also testing an early version of live transcription with this private beta. Offering live transcription is a subtle yet useful move towards improving the accessibility of the feature.
Since the private beta is focused on iOS, it is safe to assume that Spaces will first come to Twitter’s iOS app before making its way to Android and hopefully on the web in the future. So, are you excited to try out Spaces? Let us know in the comments.
Twitter has been working nonstop to keep up with the massive growth of competitors like Snapchat, and Instagram. The introduction of “Fleets” (which is basically Instagram stories) was only the first step.
Will Twitter’s audio chatroom known as “spaces” be a success?
Only time will tell.
