VoiceByte: social for your ears

We have photo and video sharing in droves, but why not audio? VoiceByte wants to get you sharing the atmosphere of the moment without the visual distractions.

A social network for audio alone? That's what the Australian app, VoiceByte, is trying to get going, focusing on sending voice messages or capturing the sound of a concert or stadium and sharing it with your friends. VoiceByte stands alone or lets you share to Facebook and Twitter. In some ways it aims to be like Instagram, but for your ears instead of your eyes.

The core of VoiceByte is sharing a 15 second audio clip. You can include a photo and add a voice message or capture the atmosphere of the moment. Messages can be shared privately or publicly and it's a breeze to view messages others have sent you or search for other 'broadcasters' to listen to.

It raises the question: why has social focused on visual formats but never on audio? Our online world is very image-centric but there is a lot of emotional value in a good audio moment. That said, as the likes of Instagram have added video that also delivers audio as part of the moment. Is this video experience along with the massive audience on existing platforms enough?

It's hard to see VoiceByte achieving the scale of its more visual competitors, but with its integration into other networks all you need is the desire to share what you hear or say and you'll be sharing with your existing social connections.

If you love the sound of your own voice or to close your eyes and just listen, VoiceByte might be worth a look. It's available here for iOS.