Twitter Is Testing a New Audio ‘Spaces’ Feature

Twitter has been keeping busy with all these new features and updates! From Twitter Fleets to brand-new verification guidelines and principles, things are changing at a rapid pace, and we’re here for it. Twitter Spaces is the latest addition to that ever-growing list.

The social platform announced the soft launch of Twitter Spaces, an audio-only virtual chatroom feature. Who better to explain what Spaces is than the source itself? According to Twitter, “Spaces is a place to come together, built around the voices of the people using Twitter, your Twitter community.”

Tests are currently only being conducted with a small group of users, but should they be successful, it’s likely we’ll see the official launch of this feature soon. For now, those with access to Spaces can create one the same way you would create a regular old Tweet, by hitting the “Compose” button. Users can invite up to ten friends to speak in a Space (which sounds like a headache, but with some minor orchestration, it could be a pretty amazing opportunity for collaboration among your favorite tweeters).

Interestingly, Spaces are public – at least for now. They are live for as long as they’re kept open by whoever started the Space; once ended, they will no longer be available publicly on Twitter.

Speaking of Spaces being public, it’s important to note that protected (private) accounts cannot access this new feature on their own. However, even if you have a protected account, you can still join a user with a public account’s Space. You can also, of course, tune-in to any Space you like. You just won’t be able to start your own Space, not unless you go into your settings and make your account public as well.

Spaces sound like they are a bit similar to an Instagram Live in terms of populating in stories, and the notifications users receive when someone they follow has started a Space. Also, not unlike Instagram Lives, a copy of the Space will be available after it wraps up, either in the form of transcription or a downloadable audio file.

How cool would it be to tune-in to your favorite podcast as they go live on Twitter Space? Or, hear from your favorite authors, celebrities, journalists, academics, and more all in on Space? The possibilities are endless! We can’t wait to try it.

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