Image via stockyimages/Shutterstock
Twitter has introduced audio cards, giving users a new way to both share and discover audio sent via the microblogging network.
Audio card tweets add rich media to the Twitter timeline and let users listen directly via the Twitter app on iOS and Android.
The audio card can also be docked so that users can keep listening as they browse their feed.
These audio streams will come via third-party streaming services, such as SoundCloud, the first partner to go live with audio cards.
However, only select SoundCloud users will reap the benefits for now. These include bands such as Chromeo and Savages; radio and podcast services such as NPR and This American Life; news sources such as BBC World Service, NASA and The White House; and and high-profile people, such as director Kevin Smith and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Now, when any of these and other selected users post a SoundCloud link to Twitter, it will appear in the news feed as a playable file. Users can go full screen to see more info on the audio and the artwork that accompanies it, or minimise to just listen while they work.
Source: Twitter
In tweets appearing on desktop, the links will appear as usual and bring users to the relevant SoundCloud page when clicked.
Twitter is just dipping its toe into the water for now but the plan is to make audio cards available to more partners and creators down the line.
Listening to music on the phone image by stockyimages via Shutterstock
