In 2021, we saw a rise in social audio platforms that brought social media and voice marketing together in one space. Platforms such as Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces and Reddit Talk made waves online, allowing brands and communities to connect through live, voice-only conversations that were raw, unedited and unfiltered.
Fast forward to 2026, and the voice landscape has completely changed. Platforms that were once skyrocketing in popularity have either completely pivoted, been absorbed into larger ecosystems or have shut down entirely.
We’ve taken an updated look at the social audio platforms that were once worth paying attention to, to see not only where they are now but also how their features have shaped modern voice search behaviour.
While these features may no longer be used in the same way, they laid the groundwork for conversational queries, real-time responses and how LLMs deliver answers through voice search.
We break down the key platforms and points below:
1. Clubhouse
Clubhouse was the social audio app that started it all, arguably the most popular on the market at the time. The platform allows users to host audio chats, join rooms by topic, and catch up with communities in real-time.
Before
- Clubhouse started as an invite-only platform, where users could join only if an existing user added them.
- The app skyrocketed in popularity, reaching 17 million monthly active users by June 2021.
- Users enjoyed the opportunity to network and connect with others outside of their community, while industry experts benefited from hosting rooms on authoritative topics to boost brand awareness.
After
- Almost as quickly as Clubhouse had grown, it began to fall. 6 months after its peak usage in June 2021, Clubhouse had lost 80% of its users.
- Recent updates to the app have left users frustrated and disappointed, feeling as though it has been unreliable and difficult to use.
2. Twitter Spaces (X Spaces)
Remember Twitter? Now formally known as X, the platform was quick to jump on the audio spaces trend following Clubhouse’s success.
Before
- Twitter Spaces allowed any user to join and listen, with up to 11 people speaking at once. Spaces were an excellent opportunity for profiles or brands to boost their brand awareness on an already popular social media platform by hosting live discussions, podcasts, and Q&As.
- Thanks to the popularity of Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces faced a lot of competition if they wanted to make the same noise and attract the same audience numbers.
After
- Once known as Twitter Spaces, X Spaces have had a complete rebrand following Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform.
- Interestingly, X Spaces can now be monetised by the creator. Ticketed Spaces were introduced to the platform, allowing hosts to charge an entry fee (anywhere from $1 to $999 per attendee!) to create exclusive, premium audio content.
3. Reddit Talk
Reddit also jumped on the social audio trend, introducing Reddit Talk to its platform in 2021.
Before
- Reddit Talk allowed moderators to host their own live audio rooms and invite other users to join.
- To speak in a live audio room, listeners had to raise their hands so a moderator could invite them to speak.
After
- In 2023, Reddit sadly announced it was shutting down Reddit Talk, thanks to its third-party audio vendor’s shutdown and a lack of resources.
- Reddit announced that it has no timeline for bringing back an audio product.
- It’s not all sad news for Reddit, however. The platform has grown to become one of the most visited sites in the UK, overtaking TikTok, with 60% of the UK’s internet users now visiting regularly.
- Google has boosted this growth by prioritising helpful, user-generated content in search results and AI-generated summaries. Reddit’s discussion forums continue to provide relevant, trusted, and authentic content, keeping the platform highly visible.
4. Facebook Live Audio Rooms
Meta is no stranger to jumping on the latest online platform trends, and audio spaces were no exception, introducing Live Audio Rooms to its platform in 2021.
Before
- Communities used Live Audio Rooms within Facebook groups to host conversations about topics users were passionate about.
- Audiences also had the opportunity to listen and join live conversations with public figures and experts on specific topics.
After
- Facebook Live Audio Rooms proved to be just a passing trend for Meta. In 2022, the platform announced that it would be going away in December.
- Profiles and brands that want to connect with their audience using voice are instead encouraged to invite them to Facebook Live broadcasts.
5. LinkedIn Audio Events
LinkedIn became another platform looking to launch its own social audio space, aiming theirs towards professionals looking to connect with others in their community.
Before
- LinkedIn’s entry into the audio chat space made networking on the platform even easier, allowing users to connect with others in their industry in real time.
- Audio spaces gave brands an opportunity to develop their content strategy to include Audio Events, allowing them to reach audience members seeking information on targeted industry topics.
After
- As we saw with most other social media platforms, LinkedIn removed the option to create an Audio Event in 2024.
- Instead, they opted to unify Audio Events with LinkedIn Live, which requires users to use a third-party streaming partner to broadcast live on the platform.
- Users can still host audio-only events via LinkedIn Live, but participants can comment only to ask a question or add their perspective.
6. Fireside
Fireside stood out from the rest. While yes, it focused on live audio features, its primary focus was on podcasting. Described as a platform for ‘interactive shows’, Fireside’s aim was for creators to “achieve the same experience as they would standing on stage in front of an audience” while broadcasting.
Before
- The platform offered a mix of live audio and podcasting features, such as playing intro music in a live room, allowing listeners to react and type comments during broadcasts and recording conversations for playback.
- Fireside was an excellent opportunity for brands with established podcasts and audiences, allowing them to further engage with users and provide an additional content stream.
After
- So, what happened to Fireside? There’s little information online about the platform’s current status, and while the website is still active, no new content has been uploaded since October 2025.
- The hype around the platform slowly died, eventually stopping altogether. One LinkedIn user comments that the company shut down at the end of 2025, but with no official sources reporting the same information, it’s difficult for us to confirm this.
From social audio to voice search and AI results
It’s clear that social audio platforms were a trend that was never here to stay. They were effective in showing us the power of voice engagement in digital spaces and that users value immediacy and conversation, but the focus has moved on.
Now, voice is being used to make searches, ask queries and gain information. Voice has been integrated with search engines, AI platforms and digital assistants (such as Siri and Alexa) to change the way people discover brands and get results.
Over 50% of online searches globally are now made via voice assistants, with 52% of people using voice search daily or almost daily. Advancements in AI have driven this shift, allowing systems to deliver more accurate, faster and relevant information.
The rollout of ChatGPT-4 introduced real-time voice capabilities to the platform, allowing users to ask questions and speak with the chatbot in a natural, conversational way, enabling back-and-forth chat with AI. Google and Meta have both since followed suit to develop their own voice-enabled and AI-powered search experiences.
What this means for brands and content marketing in 2026
The shift from traditional search to voice search has brought new opportunities – and challenges – for brands in 2026. Not only do we have to consider keywords, rankings and traditional SEO practices, but much more beyond this.
Advancements in online voice experiences have set the stage for the next consideration of brand visibility: AI in SEO, also known as AEO. As users rely more on voice assistants and AI voice features to ask questions and receive immediate answers, brands need to optimise content to be contextual, authoritative and anticipate user intent. AI systems don’t rank content, instead they select the content most likely to satisfy the user’s query.
Understanding how to optimise for voice search is essential to ensuring your brand is trusted, selected and visible within AI-generated results.
The future of voice in search and AEO
Voice search and AI-driven answers are shaping the way customers discover brands. As search shifts from clicks to visibility in conversations, getting discovered depends on whether your content is the answer that voice assistants and AI platforms consider best.
Want to know how else AI is reshaping marketing? Read next:
Get discovered in voice search results
We’re continuously exploring emerging trends in AI Search, AEO, voice search and SEO, helping brands optimise for voice-driven queries and AI-generated answers to remain discoverable in search. Ready to make your brand the answer?
