Facebook announced a range of new audio products in April, including live audio rooms, which are available on both Facebook and Messenger. Since May, Facebook has been publicly testing the audio rooms feature in Taiwan with public figures, but today the company hosted its first public test of live audio rooms in the United States. The event was hosted by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, who spoke with fellow executives and content creators.
Joining Zuckerberg were Facebook's Vice President and Head of Reality Labs Andrew Bosworth, Head of App Fidji Simo, and three gaming content creators. The content creators took the opportunity in the audio room to discuss their gaming journeys on Facebook, the types of games they were streaming, and other gaming-related topics. Zuckerberg briefly talked about new gaming features, including a new type of post called "Looking for Players," which helps content creators find others in the community to play games with during streams. Additionally, he mentioned that badges earned from live streams are now transferred to fan groups, adding that this was a highly requested feature by fans.
The live audio rooms experience is similar to what one might expect on Clubhouse or Twitter. Event hosts appear with a round account icon at the top of the screen, while listeners are displayed in smaller icons at the bottom. In the middle, there is a section showing people followed by the speakers. The active speaker is indicated by a glowing ring in shades of blue, purple, and pink on Facebook, and verified users have a blue checkmark next to their names. Listeners can show their appreciation or interact with the content during the live stream using the Like button located at the bottom of the screen, and they can choose to share the audio room either through a Facebook post, in a group, with a friend directly, or through other applications.
A toggle button in the room allows users to turn on or off automatically generated captions. Users can also report other users or any issues encountered. However, the live audio room today did not provide an option to raise hands or join the speakers, as it was a simple streaming experience.
Zuckerberg also used today's event to talk more broadly about Facebook's plans moving forward in the content creator economy. He noted that the tools being developed by the company extend beyond gaming, stating that Facebook intends to support journalists, writers, and others. He also discussed how the company does not immediately take a cut of the earnings from content creators.
