Following Clubhouse’s surge in popularity, Facebook swiftly began developing a comparable feature for its platform. Initially testing a Clubhouse-like platform named Hotline, Facebook has now introduced its own live audio feature, Live Rooms, alongside podcasts.
The announcement was made via an official Newsroom post by Fidji Simo, Head of the Facebook App. These new features form part of Facebook’s recently announced audio products line, now accessible on the Facebook app for iOS users in the US.
Live Audio Rooms on Facebook
Facebook’s Live Audio Rooms feature allows users to participate in dedicated audio rooms and listen to live conversations on various topics. Public figures and Facebook groups can create and host audio rooms on Facebook for iOS. Followers and group members can join these rooms to listen and, if given the chance, share their opinions.
During a session, up to 50 speakers can discuss a topic in a live audio room. This makes it similar to Clubhouse and Twitter’s Spaces feature, with a few key differences.
Facebook’s Live Audio Rooms enables creators and group admins to support a cause and host fundraising sessions. Hosts and speakers can directly donate to the cause from the Facebook app during these sessions.
The Live Rooms feature UI mirrors competitors’, with hosts and speakers at the top and listeners below. A front-row section below the hosts and speakers showcases listeners who’ve sent “Stars” to support.
Listeners can enable live captions or “raise a hand” to join conversations and use real-time reactions to respond to opinions. Users will discover live audio rooms on their Newsfeed and Facebook groups. Alternatively, users can sign up to be notified of audio-room sessions featuring their favorite public figures or groups. They’ll also receive notifications if friends or known users join a live audio room.
Facebook has partnered with various public figures to introduce the Live Audio Rooms feature, including Grammy-nominated electronic music artist TOKiMONSTA and independent journalist and scholar-activist Rosa Clemente. The company will soon enable other public figures like Lisa Morales Duke, D Smoke, Kehlani, Joe Budden, and DeRay Mckesson to create live audio rooms.
Podcasts on Facebook
Podcasts are part of Facebook’s new audio products lineup, enabling users to listen without leaving the Facebook app. With this feature, Facebook users can listen to their favorite podcast episodes directly.
The app plays podcast episodes via a mini-player or full-screen player with playback options. Podcasts continue playing even when users turn off their phone display.
Users can discover podcasts on their Newsfeed and Facebook Pages of favorite creators. Currently, the feature is enabled for a few creator pages. Facebook aims to enable it for more creators and add options for creating short podcast clips and captions in the near future. For now, users can react, comment, bookmark, and share podcast episodes.
Availability
Live Audio Rooms are accessible to select public figures and groups on Facebook for iOS in the US. Similarly, Podcasts are limited to a few creators at present.
Facebook intends to introduce additional audio features, including Soundbites—concise, creative audio clips—to its platform soon, with testing slated to commence shortly.
Pritam Chopra is a seasoned IT professional and a passionate blogger hailing from the dynamic realm of technology. With an insatiable curiosity for all things tech-related, Pritam has dedicated himself to exploring and unraveling the intricacies of the digital world.
