Clubhouse comes to Android; will remain invite only

The app will continue with its invite only model, meaning users can only join the platform on Android if they are invited by someone who is already on Clubhouse. “As we head into the summer and continue to scale out the backend, we plan to begin opening up even further, welcoming millions more from the iOS waitlist, expanding language support, and adding more accessibility features, so that people worldwide can experience Clubhouse in a way that feels native to them,” the blog post said. Users outside the US can pre-register for the app through the Google Play Store right now.

The viral platform’s Android version has been expected for over a year now, especially since Twitter brought competing platform Spaces to Android in March. Clubhouse is also gearing up for competition from the world’s largest social network, Facebook, which unveiled a host of audio features it will be adding over the rest of the year. Indian short video platform, Chingari, had also unveiled an app called Fireside (which emulates Clubhouse) earlier this month.

Clubhouse’s popularity has grown exponentially over the past year, thanks to a general growth in audio and video chat platforms. The company raised a series C funding round in April, which raised its valuation to $4 billion. The round, which was financed by Andrew Chen, Partner at investment firm Andreessen Horowitz, DST Global, Tiger Global and more, tripled Clubhouse’s valuation since its series B round in January.