Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio platform. Mark Schiefelbein / AP
Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio platform. Mark Schiefelbein / AP
Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio platform. Mark Schiefelbein / AP
Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio platform. Mark Schiefelbein / AP

Clubhouse app: what is it and how can UAE residents access it?


Kelly Clarke
  • English
  • Arabic

From the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel to the world's tallest building, residents in the UAE are accustomed to a luxury lifestyle. Now, there is a swank social networking app to complement that thirst for exclusivity.

Clubhouse, which burst on to the scene last year, is an invitation-only audio platform created for the world's creme de la creme.

Akin to a live podcast, the invitation-only element sets this app apart from the rest. Simply put, if your name is not down you’re not coming in.

Similar to a virtual members-only club, users lucky enough to be on the app can tune in to conversation rooms and listen to chats on almost anything, from entrepreneurship, books and the latest innovations in technology.

Elon Musk recently launched a discussion on the platform that garnered huge interest from thousands of listeners.

And the billionaire tech entrepreneur is already planning his next conversation – a sit-down with Vladimir Putin.

This week, he tagged the Kremlin's official account to ask if the Russian president would like to join him in a conversation on the audio app. Now that would be worth a listen.

How do I get an invitation?

It is an iOS-only app, so first things first; no iPhone, no invite.

If you are part of the Apple brigade, then from here on in it is all about who you know.

An existing Clubhouse user has to send an invitation from their app giving you access to it. At first, users have only two invites available on their account, so you have to hope you are at the top of someone's list.

The invitation link usually comes in the form of a text message direct to your phone. Once that lands in your inbox, you’ll be prodded to set up an account.

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35 must-have apps in UAE

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The process is pretty simple. They send a five-digit code to your mobile, you put that in, add your real name and then create your handle.

Sign-up is not instant though. Your details are sent off into a virtual abyss and you receive an alert to say they have reserved your chosen username and will get back to you on the status of your account.

If they confirm all is well, you’re in and officially a Clubhouse member.

What happens after I sign up?

Much like Spotify and iTunes, you will be asked to select your topics of interest.

Whether it is sport, music, business or health, the more boxes you tick, the more content you will have access to – or in this case, the more conversation rooms you can enter.

The conversation room is like an online conference call, live and in motion. Depending on who launched the chat, there could be one person talking or several. Most will be listening in and unable to participate.

When the conversation is over, the chat room is closed. Nothing is recorded on the app so if you are keen to listen in on a talk, you best log in to the live discussion because once it ends, it disappears.

Depending on what topics you select, the app will also recommend individuals for you to follow or join.

Do you have to use a VPN to access Clubhouse in the UAE?

No. One of The National staffers was lucky enough to receive an invitation to Clubhouse. She was able to access the sign-up phase without using a VPN.

The use of VPNs in the Emirates is not in itself against the law, but accessing certain content and websites from the country can be.

For now, the app can be used as normal, but for those who do use a VPN to log in to Clubhouse, using a free service may be less secure and more susceptible to hacking, potentially increasing a user’s risk.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Fines for littering

In Dubai:

Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro

Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle. 
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle

In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches 

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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine 60kwh FWD

Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry

Power 204hp Torque 360Nm

Price, base / as tested Dh174,500 

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

THE SPECS

Engine: 4.4-litre V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 523hp

Torque: 750Nm

Price: Dh469,000

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels