 "Clubhouse may be working on 'Waves', a feature to invite friends to chat")
Clubhouse, which has been one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in 2021, appears to be working on a new way to invite people to audio rooms in its app.
According to The Verge, based on screenshots shared by researcher Jane Manchum Wong, the new invite feature, called 'Waves', will focus on the more casual, social side of Clubhouse, rather than the creator-focused live shows that have had the company's attention.
The screenshot suggests that 'Waves' will let you wave at friends with a button identical to the hand in Clubhouse's logo, used to invite friends to chat. If they reply, they automatically get added to an audio room so you can talk.
Though there has been no official statement from the company regarding the feature, it seems likely that the feature is intended for Clubhouse's social rooms, one of several audio room types Clubhouse offers.
In July, Clubhouse finally got rid of its waitlist and has been picking up new features like spatial audio support in the meantime.
Chalk it up to the current obsession with the "creator economy" or an early business strategy, but Clubhouse has seemed more focused on the professional uses of its app, for example launching a pilot program for new shows, than its use as just another way to hang out online, as per The Verge.
This has also sparked competition all over the place, from Twitter Spaces to Stage Channels on Discord, but Waves seems like a nice step back to the casual uses of drop-in/drop-out live audio.