Clubhouse Wave: Start Casual Rooms Easily - New Feature

Clubhouse Introduces 'Wave' for Simplified Private Room Creation

Clubhouse is now implementing a new feature called Wave, designed to streamline the process of initiating private conversations with friends when they are actively using the platform. This functionality, available on both iOS and Android globally, will supersede the existing method for starting private rooms with contacts.

How Wave Functions

Users can now send a 'wave' to multiple individuals simultaneously, provided they are already following each other. Acceptance of a wave invitation automatically adds the user to a private room as a speaker.

To initiate a wave, users should navigate to the Hallway, accessible by swiping right or tapping the dots icon located at the bottom left of the screen. Subsequently, they can tap the wave icon adjacent to the names of the desired participants.

Recipients will receive a notification regarding the room invitation. It's important to note that the inviter will not be informed if a wave is declined. Successful acceptance results in the user joining a private room alongside the initiator and any other accepted participants.

While awaiting responses, users retain the ability to explore the app and participate in other rooms. A notification will alert them when someone joins their Wave-initiated private room.

A discreet Wave bar will appear on the screen during browsing, allowing users to easily cancel their wave if they become engaged in another conversation.

Safety and Blocking Considerations

Clubhouse confirms that private rooms created through Wave remain subject to the platform’s reporting mechanisms for rule violations. The platform has clarified that if a user waves to individuals who have mutually blocked each other, only the first person to join will gain access. Subsequent attempts will be denied due to the existing block.

The rollout of this feature commences today, but requires users to have the latest version of the Clubhouse application installed. The feature was initially discovered by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong last week, with Clubhouse acknowledging the find.

Competition and User Growth

Clubhouse reports that over 700,000 rooms are created daily on the app. However, the company faces increasing pressure to compete with larger, established platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and Discord, all of which have launched their own live audio offerings.

The Android version of Clubhouse was released in May, and the platform exited beta in July. However, data from SensorTower, an app analytics firm, indicates that Clubhouse experienced approximately 1.7 million global installs last month, representing a 35% decrease from the 2.6 million installs recorded in July.

February marked the app’s peak performance, with 9.6 million downloads. To date, SensorTower estimates total Clubhouse downloads at 32.2 million.

Recent Updates and Accessibility

Clubhouse has recently introduced enhancements like Backchannel, a messaging feature, and spatial audio support, aiming to provide a more immersive and realistic room experience. Despite these improvements, the app currently lacks live captioning, which limits accessibility for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Competitors like Facebook Live Audio Rooms and Twitter Spaces already offer this functionality.