It seems like every major tech company is in a mad dash to create a feature that's at least somewhat similar to Clubhouse. Twitter is no exception: it's been slowly integrating Spaces into the beta version of its Android app. As of yesterday, at least some users (including multiple members of the AP team) on the main app release have been able to create and host Spaces.

To create a Space (man, what an awkward name), tap the main Compose button, then select the new Spaces option at the top of the expanded list. You'll be asked to give it a name and invite other users. You may also have to give the Twitter app the Microphone permission in the app info menu.

Spaces are audio chatrooms to which you can invite up to ten other Twitter users (for a total of eleven with the host), broadcasted live to anyone with the link. You need the Twitter Android or iOS app to listen to Spaces. Though the host has to invite people to actually speak in their Space, anyone can listen in, not just the host's followers.

The feature seems to be pretty far along, giving hosts the option to mute or kick individual speakers and activate captioning. The host can invite listeners to become speakers, and listeners can request permission to join the conversation. Speakers can mute themselves manually, which is always handy in a digital setting where multiple people may be speaking at once. Speakers and listeners can display a small selection of emoji over their avatars, but that's it for the non-audio interaction.

Be aware that, after you start to host a Space, your phone will continue to record audio even when you switch to another app or turn your screen off. You'll have to manually end the Space to stop others from hearing you. Just a heads-up.

Despite being an incredibly hot item as an iOS app, Clubhouse has yet to release an Android version, though the company is working on it. That hole in the market is creating opportunities for would-be competitors with big bankrolls. In addition to Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and Telegram have all begun work on some kind of group audio chat feature. Twitter was rumored to be interested in purchasing Clubhouse at one point, but if that was the case, the deal fell through.

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