Clubhouse to launch Android version in S. Korea

Audio-based social networking service Clubhouse will launch on Google's Android operating system in South Korea this week, its US-based developer Alpha Exploration Co. said Tuesday, in a move to expand its growing user base.

While the app had previously been available only on iPhones, the company said it will upload a beta version of the app available for download on Google Play in South Korea on Wednesday.

The audio social media app, in which users enter rooms to chat with one another by voice, was one of the most downloaded iPhone apps in South Korea earlier this year, with celebrities and politicians alike using the platform to communicate with fans and supporters.

The move is expected to boost Clubhouse's presence in the country, dominated by Android smartphones.

In the final quarter of last year, Apple Inc.'s share of the local smartphone market reached 31 percent, compared with a 58 percent stake held by Samsung Electronics Co., which makes Android phones, according to industry tracker Counterpoint Research.

The latest release is part of a broader global launch for the Android version of the app. Clubhouse became available on Android in the United States earlier this month.

The audio social media app, launched in March last year, had 10 million weekly active users globally as of February. (Yonhap)