Twitter now lets you tune into Spaces without an account via direct links

Twitter is rolling out the ability for users to share direct links to their Spaces to let others tune into a live audio session via the web without being logged into the platform. The social media giant says the new functionality is aimed at Spaces users who have friends that aren’t on Twitter but would still want to listen in on a Space.

The expansion opens up Twitter Spaces to even more people and gives the social media giant a better chance of reaching new users outside of its platform. The new functionality also gives Twitter Spaces an edge over rivals like Clubhouse and Facebook’s Live Audio Rooms.

Twitter has been introducing several features over the past few months to streamline Spaces and garner more users. Last week, the company launched a Spaces Recording feature to testers on iOS, with a global launch to follow. The feature gives hosts the ability to select a new “Record Space” setting before starting a live audio session. Once the session concludes, the recorded Space can be shared across Twitter, allowing listeners to play it back at any time or re-share it themselves.

Twitter also recently launched a Spaces test that brings the dedicated Spaces Tab to Android users along with an update that brings easier DM invites. Twitter will also now feature popular Spaces in the Explore tab on iOS to increase their visibility.

It’s worth noting that Clubhouse also recently updated its platform to better compete with its rivals. Clubhouse expanded its offerings to allow for asynchronous listening, including support for clips, replays and audio exports. The company has also added support for 13 new languages, including French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Malayalam, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil and Telugu.

Live audio grew in popularity amid the pandemic as people around the world were confined to their homes. However, as restrictions have lifted in many countries and in-person events have returned, companies that offer live audio rooms are looking to retain users by launching new features and making conversations more accessible.