Airchat Explained: What Is It, How It Works, and How to Use It

Apr. 17, 2024

Think of an app where you use your voice to create posts, and read others’ messages and hear them. Where starting a conversation is as simple as replying to others. Sounds intriguing, right? Well, the latest obsession among netizens, Airchat is a new app that does exactly that. It aims to bea social media platform focused on your voice. So, if that has piqued your interest, continue reading as we go over Airchat in greater detail, including how to use it and join it.

What is Airchat? An Overview

Airchat is a new-age social media platform created by Naval Ravikant, founder of AngelList, and Tinder’s ex-chief product officer Brian Norgard. The app works like any other social media service where you can create and share posts and send each other messages. The only difference in Airchat is thatinstead of texts, you use your voice.

Yes, Airchat does not feature an option to send texts instead, yourecord voice notes which are transcribed to textwith the help of AI that you share with others. This gives you the best of both options. Read the text post if you are in a crowd or meeting, or listen to the voice note if possible.

The app is essentially X or Threads with just increased emphasis on voice notes. It even shares an identical layout to said platforms and most other elements as well, essentiallyproviding a more personal alternativewhere you can listen and start a conversation with like-minded people.

Like any other app, you share your thoughts by creating a post on Airchat. Except to create one, youuse the mic buttonin the middle and hold on to it to record your voice. Release the button when you are done. Your audio will be transcribed and then shared automatically.

There is no option to edit or pause the voice note (yet). You canswipe left to delete the noteif you don’t like itor delete it afterward. The same is the case when you want to reply to someone or drop someone a private message. You have to use your voice which gets transcribed. You do have the option to attach an image or link to your posts.

You can read the transcribed text posts on your home feed like you would on X. Alternatively,tap the hoveringplay button to listen to posts from other usersin their recorded voice. You do get the option to change the playback speed (up to 3x).Browsing Airchat’s home feed

Replies on the app appear horizontally. You can browse through each reply by tapping on the profile picture and listening to their responses. You can record your reply by tapping the mic button below the postitself.

If you want to be part of Airchat’s growing community, then you willneed an invitefrom someone who is already using it to join it. Let’s say you managed to secure an invite, then here is a step-by-step process to set up your account.

After you have set up your account, you can invite others and start posting voice clips that will be transcribed into text automatically.

Once you have made your way into the app, you will be able to invite your other friends as well. The catch is that you can only send two invites so choose wisely. Use these steps to invite other users on Airchat.

We encountered an issuewhere the contacts did not show upeven after providing the said permission and had to manually enter their phone number to send an invite. Hopefully, it will be fixed in the future.

If you try to join the Airchat without an invite then you will see the page below. It will display a user already on the app you may know. You can contact them outside the app and request them to send you an invite link.

At first, your Airchat feed might look pretty empty and deserted. So you should look for more people to follow and here is how you can do that.

In its execution, Airchat seems to be an interesting app. Voice notes are certainly better than texts when it comes to communication with one another. Furthermore,theaudio and tone will better explain your messageand the intent behind it.

As an added advantage, it verifies that the other person is an actual human, not a bot. Something that platforms like X have a hard time dealing with.

My only issue is that it borrows a lot from existing platforms like X and Threads. X already has itsSpaces featurewhere people can interact with each other through voice. And Threads lets you attach voice notes with your posts. Plus, a platform solely based on voice notes can get cumbersome as the user base grows. I mean, has Airchat figured out how it will handle bots and AI voices?

Still, you can divide users among groups based on their interests, but then you are edging close to Clubhouse, a once popular voice-based social media platform. Airchat is already testing video notes with its iOS version, so it will be interesting to see how it develops further.

I just feel like they should try to find their own identity instead of improving onX or its alternatives. But what do you think about Airchat? Let us know in the comments.

As a tech journalist, I dive into the ever-evolving tech landscape with a particular interest for smartphones, apps, and gaming. With a passion for sharing insights, my articles blend expertise with a friendly touch—think of me as your friendly neighborhood tech support.