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In a bid to compete with Clubhouse, Facebook has introduced a slew of new audio features including audio-only rooms and soundbites.
The audio-only will feature live chats, while soundbites will support short voice message sharing. In addition to that, soundbites will also boast a new podcasting feature.
These features haven’t been made available to the public yet. However, Facebook has confirmed that the audio rooms will be launched by this summer.
Live Audio Rooms feature is similar to what Clubhouse has to offer
In a recently published blog post, Facebook confirmed that it will start testing Live Audio Rooms, which will be available on the Facebook app soon. Among the newfangled audio tools, rooms bear a stark resemblance to Clubhouse.
It will give people an opportunity to take part in live chats not only on Facebook but also on Messenger. The company plans to test the feature within Groups and with some famous people.
This will enable them to share ideas with new audiences, and make discussion forums without feeling nervous about being on camera. It will be made available to 1.8 billion people that use Groups every month and millions of other active communities on the social media platform.
Soundbites feature expected to encourage more discussion
Facebook is also hard at work developing “soundbites.” It will enable users to share short audio clips in News Feed.
According to Engadget, soundbites are likely to comprise basic audio clips, as well as the options to add special effects. Aside from that, it is expected to encompass transcriptions and a myriad of other creator-friendly features.
Podcasts to be available in the Facebook app
Moreover, the social media giant is testing a podcasting feature. Still, in the works, the aforesaid feature will facilitate browsing, downloading, and listening to podcasts from the Facebook app.
Users will be able to enjoy their favorite audio not only when the app is open, but also when it is running in the background. It is worth noting that Facebook will trial run monetization features in the new audio features.
As if that weren’t enough, the company wants to integrate tipping features. It will also enable creators to offer paid subscriptions for access to their rooms. There will be a fund that will pay influencers who make soundbites.
For those unaware, Facebook is not the only social media platform that is currently experimenting with the new social audio feature. Its rival, Twitter began testing audio-only Spaces a few months ago.
Reddit unveiled its own version of audio chat rooms dubbed, Reddit Talk. The feature was popularized by Clubhouse.