What are Twitter Spaces and how do they work?

This page was translated using AI and machine learning.

(Pocket-lint) – Twitter copies Clubhouse, with audio chat rooms called Spaces.

Spaces was announced in December 2020 and launched in beta a month later for some people to test. Now Twitter is adding the ability for accounts with 600 or more followers to host Spaces. Both iOS and Android device users are included in this latest update.

Here’s what you need to know about Spaces, including how they work.

What are Twitter Spaces?

Twitter describes Spaces as a “gathering place, built around the voices of the people who use Twitter, your Twitter community.”

In other words, like Clubhouse, the audio-based Twitter Spaces will allow a user to come together with another person or group of users for live conversations. You will see them appear as they unfold. Once completed, they will no longer be publicly available on Twitter.

Twitter said it would retain copies of Spaces for 30 days to “check for violations of Twitter rules.” Hosts can Download a copy of the data in their space for as long as Twitter maintains a copy. Speakers can also download a copy of the transcript of what was said.

We are live ! What’s up, we’re the team behind Spaces, a small experiment centered around the intimacy of the human voice –

Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) December 17, 2020

Where can I find Twitter spaces?

• Spaces are where fleets appear: Above the home timeline.

On Twitter for iOS and Android, when someone you follow casts or speaks in a Space, it appears at the top of your timeline as a purple bubble while it’s active. When you join a space as a listener, you can react to what you hear with emojis, tweet or DM the space, or ask to speak.

How do Twitter Spaces work?

When you create a space, you control the speakers, topics, and everything else.

How to create a space

1. You can create a space in two ways:
   • Long press the “Compose” button, then the new “Space” icon on the left.
   • You can also tap your profile picture in Fleets, scroll right, then tap Spaces.
2. You can invite people to speak, share ideas, send emojis, and more.
   • Be sure to select who can join you with speaking privileges.
3. Your mic will be muted to begin with. When you’re ready, tap Start your space.
   • Allow access to the microphone by enabling the Allow microphone access option.
   • Choose whether or not you want to share transcripts by enabling or disabling the button.
4. You can now start recording in your Space.

Remark : only the person who created the Space has the ability to terminate it.

Can you control who is talking?

Yes. When creating a space, you can select who can join you with speaking privileges by choosing from the following options:

• Everyone
• The people you follow
• Only people you invite to talk (you can send DM invitations).

Remark : you can change privileges at any time while the space is open.

Can you control who listens?

For now, the spaces are public and anyone can join as a listener. If you create a space, your followers will see it in their fleets.

There is no limit to the number of listeners.

Remark : as the person who opened a space, you can also delete, report and block the users of a space at any time.

How to Join a Space

It’s easy ! Find the space in your Fleets section, select it, then press the Join this space button that appears. Your microphone will be ready to start.

If you join a Space as a speaker, in addition to speaking, you can pin tweets to the Space, turn on captions so everyone can follow what you say, and tweet the Space so your followers can join you.

What are ticket spaces?

Twitter plans to offer users a way to monetize Spaces through ticketing.

The company said hosts will be able to set ticket prices and the number of tickets sold. A limited group will be able to host ticketed spaces in the coming months. The hosts will earn the “majority” of revenue from ticket sales, with Twitter retaining a “small amount”.

Who can try Twitter Spaces?

For now, anyone using Twitter’s iOS app or Android app can join a Space, but only certain people with more than 600 followers can host Spaces.

Consult the Twitter support page for more details on the spaces. Twitter also posted a blog post to announce the spaces here.

Written by Maggie Tillman. Edited by Max Freeman-Mills.