(Pocket-lint) – Twitter is becoming a podcast app. As part of a new trial with Twitter Spaces, the Twitter mobile app will let you listen to full podcasts through curated playlists based on your interests. Here’s everything you need to know about this new feature in the app, including how to find and listen to podcasts on Twitter.
Read: What are Twitter Spaces and how do they work?
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Wait, when did Twitter get podcasts?
In August 2022, Twitter announced that its mobile app will launch a newly redesigned version of its Twitter Spaces tab (located in the center of the navigation bar at the bottom) that includes full podcast shows.
How to find and listen to podcasts on Twitter
- Open the Twitter mobile app.
- Go to the Twitter Spaces tab in the navigation bar (microphone icon).
- Find your personalized audio content hubs, including podcasts
First, let’s talk about Twitter Spaces: It’s a feature and area within the Twitter app that allows you to have live audio conversations (also called Spaces). Spaces are public and you can join one by joining a link from a tweet or direct message or from the top of your timeline. (Live slots with a speaker or host that you follow will be highlighted in purple at the top of your timeline.) You can also go to the Spaces tab to search for specific spaces to listen to or join. The Twitter Spaces tab is located directly in the center of the navigation bar at the bottom of the app. It has a microphone icon. Touch it to open Twitter Spaces.
So why do Twitter spaces matter? In August 2022, Twitter redesigned Spaces to open with custom hubs (also called Spaces hub). These hubs are based on your interest and group together audio content on different topics (news, sports, etc.), including popular podcasts from around the world. If you see a podcast you like, give it a thumbs up or thumbs down so Twitter knows if you like it. The more you do, the more personalized your centers will become.
Live and Upcoming Spaces are still located in the Space tab, a little further down.
What podcasts are available on Twitter?
- The “most popular and engaging” podcasts from around the world
- Vox podcasts are among the launch schedule
in a blog postTwitter said its new personalized hubs in Twitter Spaces will feature the “most popular and engaging” podcasts. You can expect to see Vox podcasts among those that Twitter will offer.
“Our internal research indicates that 45 percent of people who use Twitter in the US also listen to podcasts on a monthly basis, so we’ll automatically suggest engaging podcasts to help people easily find and listen to the topics they want to talk about.” learn more. For example, if someone regularly engages with Vox content on Twitter, they’ll likely see a Vox podcast in a Spaces hub.”
Can everyone who uses Twitter listen to podcasts?
- Podcasts are available as part of a trial for some users.
- Only available in English right now
No. The ability to listen to podcasts within the Twitter mobile app is just a test at this stage. Twitter said the test will be rolled out to a random group of users around the world, initially only in English.
Written by Maggie Tillman.
