Why Tweet When You Can Chat? How to Use Twitter Spaces for Live Conversations

Twitter Spaces lets you listen to and engage in live audio conversations on the social network, just like Clubhouse. Using the Twitter mobile app for iOS or Android, you can start, join, listen, and talk in a Twitter space.

The purpose of Twitter Spaces is to provide a place where you can join and participate in interesting or relevant conversations hosted by public figures, organizations and regular Twitter users. You can also organize your own Twitter Spaces to engage and chat directly with your followers and other people. How can you use spaces on Twitter? Let’s check it out.

Join Twitter Spaces

Download and install the Twitter app for iOS(Opens in a new window) or Android(Opens in a new window) if you haven’t already. In the Twitter app, tap the microphone icon at the bottom of the screen. Twitter spotlights one or two current conversations happening right now. Swipe down the screen to the “Happening Now” section to see all the current Live Spaces. Tap a specific space you’re interested in, then tap Start listening. You can now listen to the audio presentation spoken by the host and other speakers.

The screen shows the host and co-host, as well as anyone designated as a speaker. Tap the “Guests” icon at the bottom and scroll down the list to see the full names and Twitter handles of the host, co-hosts, speakers, and listeners. To search for a specific participant, tap the Search icon in the top right and start typing the name or handle of the person you’re looking for.

You can then add an emoji to the presentation or chat to record your reaction. Tap the heart icon at the bottom and choose one of the emojis.

Show closed captions if you are unable to hear certain parts of the conversation or just want to see the words displayed on the screen. Tap the ellipsis icon and select Turn on subtitles.

To add a comment to Space, tap the plus icon in the bottom left. Tap your reply, then tap the Tweet button. To see comments from other people, swipe the current comment to the left and keep swiping to see them all one by one.

If the Space allows listeners to speak, tap the Request icon at the bottom. On the next screen, tap the button for Request to talk. You will then be added to the queue and can be called to speak if the host chooses to do so.

You can invite other people to the Space. Tap the Share icon at the top. From the menu, you can invite someone else via a Direct Message, by copying a link to the Space or by sharing it with a specific contact or via a specific application or service.

You can then switch to another Twitter task or go back to the home screen and open other apps and the conversation will continue to play in the background. If you want to leave the Space, tap the Leave link at the top if the space is visible. Alternatively, tap the X button at the bottom of the screen.

Beyond checking current conversations, you can look ahead to future Spaces. Scroll down the screen to see those planned for the near future. touch Set reminder button for any that interest you and you’ll get a notification when the Space starts. Tap the Space itself and you can add it to your calendar and share it with other people.

You can also search for live or upcoming Vacancies. Tap the search field and type a word or term to see if any Spaces match it.

From an actual Space, you can view rules and other information and change some settings for Spaces. In any Space, tap the ellipsis icon to bring up a menu. touch About Spaces to see a welcome screen with details about the feature. touch Adjust the settings to enable or disable subtitles and sound effects. touch Share the comments to send a direct message to Twitter with your comments about Spaces or to report the current Space for any reason. touch See Rules to read the Twitter rules of conduct.

How to Host a Twitter Space Session

Next, you might want to organize your Space. You can do this for professional reasons, for personal reasons or just for fun. From the Twitter app for iOS or Android, make sure you’re on the Spaces screen, then tap the blue or purple microphone icon in the lower-right corner. IN Name your space field, enter the name you want to give your Space.

Next, tap the plus icon to browse topics related to your Space. Select up to three themes you’d like to add to help define your space, then tap Save.

Enable the Record Space switch if you want to make a recording for future reference or playback. Now you have the option to plan the Space or start it now. To schedule it, tap the small calendar icon, select a specific date and time, then tap Schedule.

If you decide to schedule the Space, you can promote it ahead of time by sharing it. Tap the Tweet icon to share a tweet about your next Space with your followers. Tap the DM icon to send someone a direct message about your Space. Tap the Copy Link icon if you want to copy and paste a link into Space. And tap the Share icon to share a link to your Space with specific people or through specific apps and services.

If you need to further share or edit your next Space, tap the microphone icon, then tap the schedule button. The screen shows your scheduled spaces. Tap the Share icon to share the space. Tap the Edit icon to change any details or cancel the Space.

To start a Space immediately instead of scheduling it, tap start now on the Create Your Space screen. On the next screen, select the names of each account you want to invite via direct message or simply skip this step. On the next screen, tap the “Share with a Tweet” button to send a Tweet about the Space to your followers. Tap the Share icon to share a link to Space via a DM, by copying and pasting the link, or by sharing it with specific people or through specific apps and services.

Tap the “Invites” icon at the bottom to invite any co-hosts and speakers. Anyone who accepts the invitation will be able to join the meeting.

While the Space is running, your co-hosts and other speakers can chime in at any time. On the Space screen, tap each participant’s name. Depending on whether they are a co-host, speaker, or listener, you can perform several actions, including removing them as a co-host or speaker, inviting them to co-host, removing them from the Space, reporting and removing them, or blocking them and their removal.

Listeners can request an opportunity to speak by pressing the Request icon. To respond to the request, tap the Requests button. Tap the sign to accept the request or the X to decline it. Tap the ellipsis icon and you can make the requester a speaker, invite them to co-host, remove them from the Space, report them and remove them, or block them and remove them. You can also choose to mute everyone if needed.

To end the Space, just remember to say goodbye to everyone and thank those who joined. Then tap End. After the Space is over, tap the Analytics icon at the bottom to see details about it, including how many people tuned in and how long the Space lasted.