AirChat Uses Voice Technology to Stand Out in Social Media Market

AirChat, a social media app that was launched Friday (April 12), became the 23rd most popular in the U.S. on Apple’s App Store Monday (April 15).

The app has seen thousands of downloads as well as online requests for access to it, because AirChat is currently offered on an invite-only basis, Reuters reported Monday.

AirChat is centered on voice, with messages being delivered through voice notes and simultaneous transcriptions of those notes, according to the report.

The app’s design is similar to that of other social media apps in that users can post, scroll through feeds and message other users privately, the report said.

However, it features voice notes that play automatically and can be paused, per the report.

AirChat was founded by venture capitalist Naval Ravikant and former Tinder product chief Brian Norgard, according to the report.

It aims to differentiate itself from other social media apps by using voice, the report said.

Ravikant posted on the platform, “Humans are all meant to get along with other humans, it just requires the natural voice,” per the report.

PYMNTS Intelligence has found that voice is the next interface set to revolutionize consumers’ lives.

Connected devices are rapidly entering a modern hands-free, voice-driven era, as next-generation advances are made in voice recognition technology and increasingly being brought to market across a wide variety of conversational commerce use cases, according to “How Consumers Want to Live in the Voice Economy.”

The report also found that 58% of consumers would use voice because it is easier and more convenient and 54% because it is faster than typing or using a touchscreen.

In another recent deployment of voice technology, Volkswagen said in January that it integrated OpenAI’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, ChatGPT, into the automaker’s IDA voice assistant.

With this integration, Volkswagen customers can access an expanding AI database and have researched content read out to them while driving.

Voice assistants have also made significant strides in areas such as smart home integration, educational settings and business applications. With advancements in AI paving the way, voice assistants will be able to complete increasingly complex tasks.