Last December, Twitter released its “Spaces” live audio rooms feature as a private beta for iOS users. The company has since extended testing to select Android users. If you’re wondering what Twitter Spaces is all about, or curious if you should use this feature, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ve covered everything you need to know to use Twitter Spaces, including how to create, join, and use the feature.
Using Twitter Spaces on Android and iOS (2021)
What is a Twitter space?
Twitter Spaces is a Clubhouse-like feature that lets you create or join live audio rooms On the platform. Since the feature is integrated with Twitter, creators don’t have to worry about building a new audience or following to engage with their Twitter followers.
Twitter is currently test spaces on Android and iOS. Therefore, the functionality, especially the ability to create a space, is not yet widely available. The company also plans to bring Twitter Spaces to the web version in the foreseeable future.
Twitter Spaces are public by default at this time. As a result, anyone on Twitter can join your space. You can, however, mute the microphone and only allow others to join as listeners or leave the option open for them to decide. Although accounts with protected tweets cannot host a Space, they can join Spaces hosted by others. You cannot access a Space session once it ends. However, Twitter will retain copies of audio and captions for 30 days.
According to Twitter, a total of 11 people, including the host, can talk simultaneously in a space. Also there are no limit on the number of listeners, and you can engage hundreds or thousands of your subscribers at the same time. Your followers will see an active space session at the top of the timeline in the Fleets section.
Create a Twitter space
1. To create a space, tap the floating “+” button bottom right and choose ‘Spaces’ from the available options.
2. Twitter will now prompt you to name the space. Choose a relevant name for the discussion and press ‘Start your space’ for further.
Configure Spaces
1. When you first create a space, your mic is muted. To activate the microphone, press the microphone button present at the bottom left.
2. Tap the menu at three horizontal dots and choose “Adjust settings” to enable or display subtitles.
3. You can tap on the down arrow present above the heading Space to minimize the space. This way, you can keep scrolling through your stream while listening to a Space session. It should also be pointed out that you won’t be logged out of a space if you switch to another app.
Invite users to your space
1. You can invite people to your space in three ways. You can send the invitation via Twitter DM, tweet the Space link or copy the link to share it on other platforms. To do one of these, press the “Share” button in the space UI.
2. You can manage attendees from the Guests section. From here, you can view speakers, listeners, and approve listener requests to speak.
Join a Twitter space
1. If you follow the space host, you will see a purple space indicator at the top of your timeline. You can press it and click on “Join this space” to join you. You have the option to join as a listener or speaker, but the host will need to approve your request to speak before you can speak in the space.
2. You can use emoji reactions to convey your emotions without having to speak in Twitter spaces. Do this, press the emoji button (the heart with a plus icon) at the bottom right and choose one of the available emojis (no angry 😡 reacts, unfortunately.) All participants will see the reaction emojis on your space avatar.
End a spatial session
1. Once you are ready to end the chat, you can press the “End” button to close the Spaces window. When the warning appears, press “Yes, End” to confirm.
2. Listeners can easily leave spaces at any time by tapping the “Leave” button in the upper right corner. Everyone will automatically be kicked out of the space once the host ends the chat.
Discover active Twitter spaces
1. You can use Twitter’s search feature to discover active spaces. All you have to do is enter “twitter.com/i/spaces” in the search bar. Use this link to see a list of current Twitter Spaces. It goes without saying that you can only discover spaces shared as a tweet via this method.
2. Another great resource for discovering Active Spaces is an unofficial website called Twitterspaces.global. The website basically lists the latest tweets with a Space link. Until Twitter finally creates a dedicated section to help users discover new spaces, you can use any of these methods to find active audio rooms.
Use Twitter spaces to participate in discussions
Twitter Spaces is an effective implementation of Audio Rooms, but it’s far from the only one. Excluding Clubhouse, tech companies such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Telegram, and Instagram have been working on adding the feature to their platforms, the latest being Discord’s Scene Channels. It will be interesting to see if users continue to use Audio Rooms once the novelty wears off. Regardless of what the future holds for these Clubhouse-inspired audio rooms, give Spaces a try and share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
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