Following the rapid rise of the Clubhouse, several companies have tried to emulate the audio-chat platform by developing their own platforms. However, after about a year of waning enthusiasm for this style of communication, companies have reconsidered, and Reddit is no exception. The popular American site announced its intention to shut down Reddit Talk (a clone of Clubhouse) on March 21, just two years after its launch. Diminished popularity is not the main reason.
Reddit made this decision because it is struggling to maintain the service. “Our original plan was to keep Talk running while we worked on it. Unfortunately, the audio provider we use for Talk is terminating service its. In other words, the resources required to keep Talk alive during this transition have increased significantly,” Reddit said in a post.
See also: Reddit: Useful tips to enhance privacy
Reddit Talk will be available until March 21st, and users can download conversations until June 1st (in case the conversations were hosted after September 22nd).
Additionally, the company is shutting down the “Happening Now” page, which allowed users to check active conversations in real time.
Reddit first launched Reddit Talk in April 2021. Last year, it launched a web version and also introduced some features for a better user.
See also: Reddit now lets users search comments on posts
Reddit seems to be shifting its focus to building better search and a TikTok-style feed for video. In a recent interview, product manager Pali Bhatsaid that more than 500 million people visit Reddit monthly. But the company wants to open up the platform to more people through these new features.
However, the company plans to bring back Talk or a similar audio in the future. “Reddit’s goal is to become the de facto home for communities. Audio, like Talk, has a place in that,” Reddit said in a post on Wednesday.
See also: How to delete your Reddit history
As we mentioned above, this type of app hasn’t been as popular lately, and companies have started to pull back on such platforms. Last year, Spotify shut down a creator fund for real-time conversations and ended production of several shows. In October, Amazon cut jobs at Amp ,an app it launched to boost live radio. Even Clubhouse has declined, with the app recording just 200,000 monthly active users, according to a report from November.
Source: techcrunch.com
