What Is Clubhouse App, How To Get An Invite, & More Explained

Clubhouse is the buzziest app right now, and also becoming one of the busiest. It’s the social media equivalent of the exclusive club every cool person seems to have an invite to. Its invite-only format only makes the audio-based platform more elusive and its membership more coveted, but what is Clubhouse exactly?

Hollywood A-listers have already started signing up, Elon Musk is already obsessed with it and the app is even curating itself to become more influencer-friendly. And scoring an invite to Clubhouse is on everyone’s to-do list for this year. Here’s everything to know about Clubhouse, from its format to ways to score an invite and its future android expansion. 

9 So, What IS Clubhouse?

Clubhouse functions as audio-only social media which is somewhat refreshing in the age of Instagram and Tik Tok (that pay so much attention to visuals). The app is part talkback radio and part informal conferencing or group call. The point is every interaction is only done through audio chats, users can listen in to conversations between interesting or famous people and follow interviews.

It’s like tuning into a live podcast but definitely with a sense of exclusivity since the app is invite-only so it’s like a cool social club that everyone wants to be invited to. But since everything is live, conversations aren’t saved or stored. Users can find clips on social media in the same way that podcast clips end up on YouTube or Facebook. 

8 How To Download Clubhouse?

At the moment Clubhouse is an iOS beta app that is only available on the Apple App Store. So anyone who has an iPhone and a Clubhouse invite can download the app from the App Store like they’d download any regular iOS app. The social media app may feel restrictive at the moment since it’s not available to android users.

But reports suggest that the app is soon expected to come out of beta and be available for Android users, which would also help the app commercially of course. However, the invite-only format may be a fixture since it is the basis of the app’s appeal.

7 How To Get An Invite?

Users can procure a Clubhouse from their friends, family or members of their respective social, academic, or professional circles; however many people are also sharing Clubhouse invites via social media groups or a virtual mutual friend nexus. An existing Clubhouse user has to send an invite from their app which will offer access to someone to set up an account. When someone is invited, they’ll receive a link on their phone that will direct the user to the sign-up page. That said, sending out multiple invites isn’t possible for existing users; initially, Clubhouse users only have two invites available.

6 What To Do After Setting Up An Account?

The app might look somewhat chaotic because of all of the options and possibilities. The home page is pretty simple, it lists the discussions that are happening at that time, as well as chats scheduled for later. A good way to start is to pick the subjects that appeal, and explore the corresponding chat rooms.

Users can add people from their contact list and they can follow new people. Depending on someone’s interests their algorithm will show them the chat rooms that are hosting panel talks or sessions on their preferred topics be it music, cinema, culture, gaming, etc and also show them details about who’s moderating which room.

5 Creating A Club

As of right now, users looking to start their own club will need to fill out a Clubhouse form and wait for the team to review and approve the request. Clubhouse limits each user to creating 2 clubs. And at this moment it is prioritizing clubs for people who have already hosted a weekly show 3 times, due to an unusual volume of club requests. Users new to Clubhouse should start by setting up a profile and then check in on existing clubs before making a club request.

4 How User-Friendly Is It?

It’s easy to switch between rooms, although users can only speak or take part in conversations if the moderators allow it; they can request to speak by pressing the ‘raised hand’ emoji. Users can work towards creating a mutual interest community or a close-knit group. Not only does it make the app more fun but it also allows people to create private rooms to moderate their own chats. Live discussions and celebrity-led chats are particularly appealing to new users since it’s also a great way of exploring connections with other users and expanding their list. In fact, users can also use locked or private rooms to keep up with friends. 

3 Who Created Clubhouse?

The app was developed by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Paul Davison and engineer and ex-Google employee Rohan Seth. The app received funding from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and as of May 2020, it had 1,500 users, and was worth $100m. But having raised new funding, Clubhouse is now valued at $1 billion, and is considered a Unicorn startup that refers to a privately-owned startup with a valuation of over $1 billion.

2 Celebrities On Clubhouse

Of course, Oprah and Drake have joined the Clubhouse bandwagon but what makes this app so great is that it already features names from different walks of the culture spectrum. Hollywood biggies like Jared Leto, Ashton Kutcher, Chris Rock, and rappers like Meek Mill, Wiz Khalifa, 21 Savage, MC Hammer, Lupe Fiasco are part of Clubhouse’s roster. Elon Musk is set to host a session with Kanye and has even invited the Kremlin to join him for a conversation. Moreover, many names from fashion like supermodel Naomi Campbell, designer Virgil Abloh, and founders of the popular fashion Instagram Diet Prada are also part of Clubhouse.

1 Future Plans

Clubhouse creators have revealed that they are working to bring the app to android devices. In a recent blog, Clubhouse explained that it is thrilled to turn its attention to Android. “From the earliest days, we’ve wanted to build Clubhouse for everyone. With this in mind, we are thrilled to begin work on our Android app soon, and to add more accessibility and localization features so that people all over the world can experience Clubhouse in a way that feels native to them,’ the app’s makers shared in the post. While no date has been finalized yet, the company has hired Mopewa Ogundipe, an Android developer who confirmed on Twitter that she has indeed joined Clubhouse in February to bring the app to Android users. 

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