Twitter is beta testing audio chat rooms called Spaces
Spaces is being tested with a "very small" group of users, the company says.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Twitter is testing audio chat rooms.
Twitter says its beta test of audio chat rooms is now live. The feature, called Spaces, will let users share audio clips in tweets and direct messages. Users will also be able to create their own rooms for others to join, and they'll have control over who can speak in those spaces. It's "a small experiment focused on the intimacy of the human voice," Twitter said Thursday.
"Audio adds an additional layer of connection to the public conversation. Musicians and authors have used it to bring their works to life, while other people used audio to tell stories, share emotion, and be their true, funny selves," Twitter said. "We also know that people want to feel comfortable and in control when having conversations on Twitter."
Twitter says the feature is being tested by "a very small feedback group." Those with the capability can create a Space by pressing and holding the Compose button in the lower right corner, or through the Fleet creation screen by swiping right. You can invite people to your space by sending them a direct message or by sharing a link.
Twitter is also currently testing live transcriptions; emoji reactions; reporting and blocking; and sharing tweets in Spaces.
Twitter first announced Spaces last month when it launched Fleets, a capability similar to Snapchat and Instagram stories. At the time, Twitter said it had tested audio chat rooms with small groups of people who are more likely to be impacted by online harassment, including women and those from marginalized backgrounds.
"It is a personal matter for me to get this right," Maya Gold Patterson, a product designer at Twitter, said in November while speaking about her own experiences as a Black woman who's faced online abuse. "The team is interested, and the company is interested, in hearing first from this group of people on their feedback about audio spaces."