Twitter is rolling out a new update to its API which will enable third-party developers to build tools, apps and services for its audio Spaces product, facilitating more ways to maximize on-platform conversation.

The main focus of the new update is to facilitate Spaces discovery, one of the most requested developer features around the tool.

As explained by Twitter:

"Over the past several months, we’ve been hosting regular conversations with folks from our developer community, and people who use Spaces, so that we can understand what API functionality we should build first. One of the most requested features we heard is that you want functionality to help people discover interesting Spaces and set reminders." 

Based on this, the first stage of the new Twitter API v2 update will enable developers to look up live or scheduled Spaces using criteria like the Space ID, user ID info, or keywords.

"With the Spaces lookup and Spaces search endpoints, we hope to enable developers to build tools and solutions that help people on (and off) Twitter find interesting and relevant Spaces more easily. This will also benefit Spaces Hosts by making their conversations more discoverable and bringing more engaged listeners into their Spaces."

Discovery is a key focus for the next stage of Spaces development, because just as live-streaming was quickly inundated with low-quality, even offensive streams, live audio can also get boring very fast if you're not able to locate quality, relevant broadcasts. 

If Twitter can facilitate broader development of improved discovery options, that could go a long way towards maximizing Spaces usage, while also providing it with more specific guidance as to how it can help improve Spaces discovery within its coming Spaces tab, further boosting usage.

There's no word from Twitter as to when the new tab will be made available to all users, but the utility of that extra panel will be guided by relevance, and ensuring that the most valuable, real-time discussions for each individual user are highlighted in the app.

Maybe, by expanding its API endpoints, and enabling more developers to try their hand at solutions, that could help streamline its internal development of the same, while at the same time boosting Spaces usage through the addition of new tools designed to help people find the right Spaces for them.

In addition to this, Twitter is also looking to add in other Spaces access points to provide more tools and usage insight.

"We’re exploring functionality that will enable developers to build tools and solutions specifically for Spaces Hosts. For example, we are considering making certain metrics fields available via the API; enabling developers to build analytics dashboards and other performance measurement tools for Spaces Hosts. We’re also exploring a set of endpoints that will enable developers to help integrate the creation of reminders for upcoming Spaces into their tools, which would benefit participants and Hosts alike."

More data on Spaces performance, more capacity for scheduling and planning, along with improved discovery. We're yet to see what gets developed as a result, but the expanded API access could prove to be a big step forward for Twitter's audio social product.