The clubhouse hasn’t had a direct messaging feature baked into the audio-only platform, so they decided to launch one called Backchannel.
Direct messaging isn’t new to the social media platform. It’s the kind of feature you’d almost assume a social media platform to have from the get-go. Back in June, Clubhouse unintentionally leaked Backchannel to a few users before pulling it back again ahead of the official launch, so this isn’t all that astonishing to see. Besides, it has undoubtedly been something a lot of Clubhouse commons have been asking for.
https://twitter.com/Clubhouse/status/1415430912691503105
The Backchannel, aka the direct message feature, is denoted by a familiar paper airplane logo located in the lower right corner of the screen, right next to the button that lets you start a room.
Once you’ve tapped on the ‘Backchannel’ button, you can either choose to start a direct chat with one person or even initiate a group chat. It’s also possible to add new members to a group chat after it has begun.
Backchannels also let users send links to Rooms, along with clubs and profile pages.
Other upcoming features mentioned in the clubhouse include starting a Room directly from a Backchannel chat, sending photos and videos, and messaging reactions.
There are a couple of Clubhouse-specific features that are now possible thanks to Backchannels. For instance, you can directly reach out to a speaker to prod the person about something they might have missed, all while maintaining the flow of the conversation within the Room.
It also allows friends to debate what they heard during a Room without going away from the Clubhouse app. Moreover, Backchannel also makes it possible for people to break bread with people you’ve just interacted with within a room for the first time.
The clubhouse will soon allow users to report a room whose topic has violated the community guidelines. Additionally, the clubhouse offers Android users the option to add other social media accounts to their profile, something that is already available via the iOS app.