Social media giant Facebook is rolling out Live Audio Room. It will allow users to host audio rooms in real-time. The Live Audio Room is, however, limited to some of the American public figures and certain groups. They can start hosting rooms via the main Facebook app on iOS. They can invite followers, verified figures, or any listeners to be a speaker in the room. Facebook said that the host of the audio room can invite speakers in advance and during the conversation as well. A total of 50 speakers can join a room. There is no cap on the number of listeners who can join the room. The new Live Audio Room is aimed at taking on rivals Clubhouse and Spotify. Facebook said that it will expand its support to the public in the coming months.
Facebook in a statement said that admins in groups will have control over moderators and group members. Both visitors and members can listen in public groups. But in private groups, only members can listen. Facebook said that it is also making podcasts available. Users can listen to podcasts via a player. Facebook said that it will provide controls to allow users to listen when the screen is off. Users can find shows on News Feed and podcast creators’ pages. The company said that it will soon introduce an automatic captioning feature. The clips feature will allow listeners to create and share clips.
Facebook said that listeners can extend support to the public figure on the Live Audio Room. The company has provided options to send stars to show appreciation. Facebook is also rolling out multiple features including a notification. A notification will be sent to the host when followers and friends join a room. A new button ‘raise a hand’ has been made available. The button will allow requesting to join the room. Besides, there is an option available to submit reactions during the chat. Meanwhile, Facebook said that it is working with creators on Soundbites. It is a short-form audio feature. Users can record short voice messages and share them on the platform.
