It is hardly surprising that in 2021 there was a boom in applications with voice communication. A year ago, we all ended up at home with the only opportunity to meet and communicate with each other – only through social networks. And social networks have tried to make our communication more complete. Statista says that new social networks began to gain popularity with video and voice communication on an equal footing with the major market players – Facebook and YouTube. 

Any software development company became interested and closely followed the rapidly growing interest in the social network with voice communication Clubhouse. And there is something to see: in just a couple of months after the launch, this network gained more than 2 million new subscribers. Even though initially, the application was planned only for iOS.

Forbes writes that Clubhouse represents a new round of innovation thanks to its invitation-only platform, marketed as a form of elitism, virtual from day one. It’s like being invited to a private hobby club. And the fact that not everyone received such an invitation immediately increased interest in the social network.

Let’s take a look at how to create a social network like the Clubhouse

1. Make access to your network a unique proposition

As we mentioned earlier, Clubhouse is available for iOS users only and uses the invite-only model. However, using such a step for your application can increase interest in you, and at least many influencers will write about it on their pages.

2. Use the default profile settings

No matter how social networks change, we love when there is an avatar and a page description. Consider this possibility when creating your application.

3. Customize your newsfeed

If we take the Clubhouse, its goal was to unite intellectuals and people with professional knowledge who have a story to tell. Therefore, for many, the feed at the Clubhouse consists of a discussion of politics, business, and networking. Allow your users to find interest groups using search and filters.

4. Develop functionality for communication

At the Clubhouse, communication takes place in rooms. Rooms are created according to interests, or you invite those who you need. Here you can view rooms and join existing rooms. You can do open and closed spaces. Also, think in advance what the maximum number of participants can be in your room.

5. Think carefully about user profiles

Here, as usual, there will be images, names, and a short description. You can also make it possible to add links to profiles on other social networks, such as Twitter and Instagram. It is convenient when you can see what the discussion participant is interested in, which groups he belongs to and how many subscribers he has in your network.

6. Think over the functionality of the groups

At the Clubhouse, these are called clubs. You can join clubs with topics that interest you and connect with those who have similar interests. Here you can also view and add participants, as well as create topics for discussion. Be sure to have group moderators and the ability to block spam users.

7. Create custom notifications

As with any social media app, Clubhouse uses push notifications to improve user experience and event awareness. This is an excellent feature to take note of when creating your social network. Notifications help keep the audience on the social network, and don’t forget about your app.

8. Show activity of interaction

This functionality should display the history of interactions with your account: comments, likes, replies, subscriptions.

How to build an app like Clubhouse for live audio communication?

Now you know what functions are critical in such a social network. And what to do directly for development?

Carefully select a development team or place an order from a company that develops mobile applications and IT solutions. Regardless of whether you hire a team locally or find an outsource, it is necessary to consider DevOps services for app scalability and fault-tolerant system infrastructure. You must be sure that professionals work with you and the lion’s share of success depends on this.

Research the market before starting production. Determine the target audience, its needs, and close its questions with your application.

Conclusion

The world has changed, and all activities have moved online. We want more live communication when we can see and hear each other, thousands of kilometers from each other. 

The creation of a social network application with the possibility of voice communication has excellent prospects now. And if you decide to create one – after this article, you already know what to do!

Author’s bio: Anastasiia Lastovetska is a technology writer at MLSDev, a software development company that builds web & mobile app solutions from scratch. She researches the area of technology to create great content about app development, UX/UI design, tech & business consulting.