Clubhouse Adds In-Room Chat Feature, Offering Another Way to Engage

Clubhouse has added another way for users to participate in conversations, with a new text chat option that runs in addition to the main audio discussion in each session.

Clubhouse announced its new in-room chat last Thursday, adding a text chat feature to its voice rooms similar to what people see on YouTube or Twitch.

As explained by Clubhouse:

“Today we’re introducing in-room chat which will allow users - from the mods to the listeners in the audience - to communicate with each other via text during a live room. Don’t want to miss your moment to share a killer joke? Want to put in a song request? Want to react with an emoji? You can now drop it in the in-room chat.”

Anyone having a conversation on Clubhouse can enable the option when they start a room.

Clubhouse calls the text chat option “another touchpoint” between creators on the platform and members of the public.

After the addition of a direct messaging feature last year, it is certainly a step to further expand the app beyond its focus on audio and make Clubhouse more accessible to a wider audience. Many other social platforms have an active text chat box that accompanies content, so it's also something that people consuming content on more mature platforms have come to expect.

In terms of content moderation, anyone can long-press on their username and report or block them directly from the chat. If you run a room on Clubhouse, you can designate moderators to delete posts or kick out disruptive participants.

The text chat will live alongside a room's audio content in archive form after it ends, but users will not be able to join the chat after that.

According to Clubhouse, the feature is now rolling out on both iOS and Android.