Facebook is calling... 📞

Ring ring, anybody there? Facebook’s R&D team dropped a new app this week. On Tuesday they released CatchUp which is an audio-only app that shows you who’s around to chat instantly, a bit like a voice-only chat room.

The big use case for the app is eliminating phone tag. It’s easy to jump in and out of calls with family or friends for up to 8 people. We’ve seen a lot of video calling apps launch recently including Messenger Rooms, so it’s an interesting pivot to voice-only to address video fatigue. Now you don’t have to be camera-ready, and it’s a bit easier to multitask if you are just hoping for a quick social session.

Since video fatigue is definitely a real thing, we wanted to dig deeper into this audio-only trend.

Walkie is a like a CatchUp for your colleagues, you can drop voice notes for your remote coworkers in real time.

About a year ago, an audio-based social platform called Lyrc launched. You can use Lyrc a bit like a mix of CatchUp and Walkie to capture and share audio-only moments with friends and family.

Currently launched around the same time and it’s a voice-only community where you can create a playlist of your stories, songs and voice notes.

If the phone call is coming back, does that mean radio is next? Another throwback app, Drive & Listen, is a trip. You can digitally drive around global cities and listen to their local radio stations to feel like you’re really there.

Keeping the auto theme going, Roadtrip is building a social music-listening app with audio voiceovers.

Consumer audio is getting interesting. 🔊

HBO Max just dropped yesterday and wants to compete with Netflix on premium content. 📺