How to Use the Clubhouse App

This article explains how to use the audio-social networking Clubhouse app, including creating a profile, following people and interests, and getting started and join rooms.

Create a Profile

Before you can use Clubhouse, you must first have a Clubhouse invitation from a Clubhouse user. Each user can send a limited number of invitations.

1. After you receive an invite, download Clubhouse from the App Store, enter your invite code (or follow the invite link), and create your profile.

2. Choose a username. Like on Instagram or Twitter, the username has the @ symbol in front of it.

3. Choose a display name. Clubhouse shows this name to other users. Use your legal name, preferred name, or anything else. Whatever you choose, make it easy to see at a glance, so you're instantly recognizable in a room.

4. Write your bio. The bio is where you're free to share anything about yourself. Unlike a Twitter bio, there isn't a character limit, and line breaks are allowed, so get creative. You can include links within your bio, but links aren't active. Other Clubhouse users must copy and paste the link into a browser.

   

5. Connect your Twitter and Instagram accounts. These connections are optional but make it easier for other Clubhouse users to follow you on other social media sites. When you connect Twitter, you can migrate your profile information into Clubhouse.

Follow People and Interests

When you finish creating your profile, Clubhouse displays a list of interests you can choose to follow. Categories include Hanging Out, World Affairs, Life, Hustle, Knowledge, Wellness, Places, Faith, Entertainment, Identity, Tech, Languages, Arts, and Sports.

After selecting the topics you want to follow, Clubhouse asks to access your contacts. This part is optional, and you may opt not to grant permission due to privacy concerns. You can still invite friends to Clubhouse by entering a phone number or using the iOS contact dialer feature (which doesn't require contact access).

When you give Clubhouse permission to access your contacts, the app suggests people you might want to follow. If you don't grant access to your contacts, Clubhouse makes recommendations based on your chosen interests.

If you prefer to look around before following people or interests, you are free to do so. Skip the interests and contact-access sections, and Clubhouse directs you to the main application.

Home Page

Clubhouse doesn't have a typical home page. Instead, it has a main screen that acts as a summary of what's going on in your network, featuring live and upcoming Clubhouse rooms on display.

At the top is a chronological overview of upcoming Clubhouse rooms available to join. Underneath, you'll find a collection of live Clubhouse rooms inspired by people or interests you follow. In addition to the Clubhouse room's name and topic, the summary box shows how many people are in the room and how many active speakers there are.

How to Start a Room

While Clubhouse has rooms that span myriad interests, it's easy to start a room and create a discussion that interests you. To start a room:

1. Select the green Start a room button on the bottom of the home screen.

2. Select whether the new room should be Open, Social, or Closed. Open rooms are open to anyone who has the link. Social ones are available only to people you follow, and closed ones are available to people you allow to join.

   

3. Add a Topic for the room. Topics, summaries of the space, are optional but can be critical when using an Open or Social room, and you want others to find the discussion quickly.

4. Select Let's Go, and you're on the air. Depending on the room settings, others can join, and you can turn participants into moderators to help guide the conversations.

   

How to Join a Room

Joining a Clubhouse room is as simple as tapping on a room you come across, either on the home screen or while searching through topics and interests. When you join a room, you're muted by default, but you can hear the other speakers.

If you wish to be a part of the conversation, request to speak by tapping the Raise your hand icon in the lower-right corner of the Clubhouse room user interface. It notifies the moderators you wish to join the conversation, giving them the option to unmute you or make you a moderator.

You can also add friends to the room using the + icon, which displays a list of people who follow you and the option to share the room's link to external platforms.

To leave the room, tap the Leave quietly icon. It takes you to the main Clubhouse screen to join the following conversation, find the next topic, or leave the app.