Social audio app Clubhouse now open to all

Clubhouse is no longer an invite-only audio chat app. The company on Wednesday, July 21 announced that it is now out of beta and open to everyone. The company said that it has removed its waitlist system so that anyone can join the platform hassle-free.

"If you have a club, you can post your link far and wide. If you are a creator with an audience, you can bring them all on," the company said in a blogpost. "If you're hosting a public event, anyone can attend. You can bring close friends, classmates, family members, coworkers, and anyone else you like -- on iOS or Android," it added.

The company says it has added 10 million people to the community since its launch on Android in mid-May and has seen 90 million DMs sent since it launched Backchannel last week. Backchannel has both 1:1 and group chat and an optional second inbox for message requests.

Users can send and receive questions from the audience. And speakers can now take questions from people via text -- and use that to decide who to call up from the audience. Listeners can now submit questions, even if they are not able to come up on stage.

The company said that users can use Backchannel to coordinate with co-hosts, organise questions, decide on guests and collaborate before going live.

Recently, Clubhouse has struck a deal with TED to bring exclusive talks on its platform.

The deal lets TED sell ads and sponsorships for its conversations and Clubhouse will not take any share. It's still not clear if the chats will be available as podcasts or other on-demand recordings.

The app arrived on Android after spending a year on the Apple iOS platform.

The new release is out today on both iOS and Android platforms and the company says it will be shipping new updates for users every 1-2 weeks.