Dearest GroupMe Groupies,

We have very exciting news to share. Today, we have entered into an agreement to be acquired by Skype.  Over the last few months, we had been in talks with Skype that started with discussions about potential commercial partnerships. As we got to know the core Skype team better, though, and as our conversations evolved, it quickly became evident that our visions were perfectly aligned. Both companies are focused on changing the way the world communicates, and helping people stay in touch with the people they really know. With a shared vision—an ambitious one—we decided our efforts to own real-time communications and the real life network could be best executed as one company.

This has been a remarkable year for GroupMe, and we believe that this is a big win. And not just a big win for GroupMe and our amazing investors, but also for New York City. As part of the deal, GroupMe will remain in New York, team intact, working on our standalone application. The major difference will be that we will now have access to Skype’s 175 million monthly connected users. 175 million people. That’s a very big deal. 

When we first started GroupMe, we set out to achieve two major goals. The first was to solve a very simple problem we had as individuals: how do we stay in touch and coordinate with our friends better in real-time?  The second was a bit bigger: how can we change the way people across the globe communicate and get together better in real life?  We solved problem #1, and our efforts alongside Skype will accelerate the execution of problem #2 tenfold. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

With all of this excitement, we want to take a moment to thank you, our amazing users.  Because of your excitement about GroupMe, your inexhaustible support, and your invaluable feedback, we have been able to make GroupMe into what it is today. We simply could not have done this without you. From all of us here at GroupMe— thank you so much.

We’re going to keep working hard on making GroupMe the best way to keep in touch with your real life network. We still have a long way to go with our product and vision, and we can’t wait to show you where we’re going next. 

Love,

Team GroupMe

Introducing GroupMe 3.0

It’s a very exciting day here at GroupMe. Thanks to the invaluable feedback we’ve received from our users over the last few months, we have a slew of new features today that make GroupMe the easiest way to start conversations and keep in touch with your real life network.

There’s a lot of new stuff to celebrate, so let’s get to the point. Here’s what’s new!

 Questions (Beta)

• Today, we’re releasing a new kind of conversation you can start on GroupMe. It’s as simple as asking a question.
• Use it to plan a real-life meetup, chat about something with your friends in real time, or whatever else you want!
• You can direct your question to just a few people, an entire group, or everyone you know. You can even broadcast it to Twitter or Facebook and let the world respond.
• We’re so excited about this feature that we can’t contain it all to this post. Please read more about Questions here. 

 Direct Messages

• Now, you can send a message to another GroupMe user, because sometimes, you don’t need to say it to the whole group. 
Just tap on a user’s avatar anywhere in the app, and you can have a conversation with them without ever leaving the app.
• Today, you can send and receive Direct Messages from the iPhone and Android apps. It’s coming soon to our other platforms, including the web.

Website

• Now everything you can do on the app is possible on the web. Start and manage groups, send messages, share photos, ask questions, and more, all from the comfort of your desk. You asked for it, so we built it. 
• Plus, it’s optimized for mobile browsers, so if your smartphone doesn’t already have a GroupMe app available, you can still chat for free wherever you are.
• On top of all that, we have a new About page, a new Jobs page (apply now!) and new pages for all of our apps. It’s like a brand new website! 

Who You Know

• To date, you have been able to view the phone numbers of anyone in your groups. As GroupMe has grown and our users have discovered awesome new reasons to start groups, we’ve heard from some people that you don’t always want to share their phone number in their groups.
• So starting today, your phone number is kept private from other group members.
 The only way you can see another group member’s phone number in the app is if they’re already in your phone contacts. Of course, if you need to know it, you can always ask them for it by sending a Direct Message in our app. It’s that easy!

International Support

• The GroupMe app is now available worldwide on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone 7. Full SMS chat support is currently limited to the United States, but users in other countries can use GroupMe for free with our app or on our website. Today, GroupMe apps are available in over 90 countries.

New Apps and More

• In addition to all the awesome new features described above, the new versions of our iPhone and Android apps also feature a gorgeous new interface design. They’re faster than ever and better looking to boot.  
• If you didn’t see the news last month, we have a brand new app for Windows Phone 7 that’s just getting started. Try it out!
• The retooled “News” tab in the app now tells you everything you need to know about GroupMe.
• There are so many optimizations and detailed improvements in our apps and website that we couldn’t possibly list them all here.

We’re so excited for you to start playing with the new apps and features! So what are you waiting for? Here are a few things you should do right now:

Download the latest version of our app. Ask a question of your friends! Send a direct message to someone you’re in a group with! Chat with your groups from our website! Let us know what you think on Twitter or Facebook! And if you have any problems or questions, feel free to send us an email. 

Enjoy!

Love,

Team GroupMe

Introducing Questions (Beta)

Today, we’re excited to introduce a new type of chat you can start on GroupMe. It’s as simple as asking a question to spark a conversation.

As we’ve heard from our users over the last few months, sometimes starting a group feels like too much pressure. You may know what you want to talk about, but not necessarily who you want to talk with. Maybe you want to ping a few friends to see who’s up for dinner. Or maybe you just have a burning question you’d like all your friends to answer.

That’s why we built Questions. It’s the easiest way to start a conversation with whomever you want. Direct it to just a few people, or to all of your groups. You can even broadcast your question on Twitter or Facebook.
 Everyone you ask has a chance to decide whether they’d like to join the discussion, or just comment on the question without receiving everyone’s updates. 

You can use it to plan a real-life meetup:

• Anyone want to see a movie tonight?
• What is everyone doing this weekend?

Or to chat about something with your friends in real time:

• Is anyone else watching this game?
• What’s the best restaurant for a date downtown?

Or even let your friends come to you.

• I’m in Brooklyn. Who else is here?

We think of questions as a lightweight, fun companion to groups. It’s the fastest way to start chatting with your real life network.

At launch, you can ask questions from iPhone, Android, and the web. Anyone can answer a question and participate in the discussion, either on our website, on an app, or via SMS. 

The uses are limited only by your imagination… and we can’t wait to see what you ask. It’s a brand-new beta feature, so we’re looking forward to seeing what people really do with it and where it goes next.

So what are you waiting for? Ask your first question now!

New Apps Feature GroupMe

Two months ago, we announced the GroupMe Client Library, which lets mobile developers easily incorporate GroupMe functionality into their apps. Since then, we’ve been working with a limited selection of partners to bring our group messaging experience to more people through third-party mobile apps.

Now, we’re proud to show off two apps with built-in GroupMe functionality that are launching today on the App Store.

First, check out the brand new Lollapalooza Official App for iPhone and Android. It lets Lollapalooza attendees look over the whole festival lineup, put together a personal schedule, and look over a comprehensive map of the grounds. And this year, it’s amazingly easy to start a group with your other friends who are going, with a dedicated GroupMe tab built into the bottom bar.

From that tab, it’s easy to start a Lollapalooza group from your phone contacts, see the ones you’ve already started, and send a text to the group or start a conference call with just a tap:

What’s more, there’s an easy way to open your Lollapalooza group in the GroupMe app, chat in-app, then switch back to the Lollapalooza app instantly. Check out this video we made showing just how easy it is to do:

Also launching today is the new Dexter app for iPhone and Android. Fans of the Showtime program love the app for its exclusive Dexter info, videos, games and more. Now, with GroupMe integration, Dexter fans will be able to chat about the show with their friends while they watch it—and have a chance to win special Dexter collectibles while doing it. Take a look:

These are just a few examples of how developers and partners can integrate GroupMe to help engage fans and make it easier for them to communicate with each other. If you have a great idea for integrating GroupMe into your app, read up on the Client Library or request an API key now. We can’t wait to work with you. 

GroupMe Preview for Windows Phone 7 is here

We’re excited to announce that today, we’re launching our fourth major smartphone app: GroupMe for Windows Phone 7. Our users on Windows Phone devices have been asking us to build this app for months—it’s one of our most-requested features ever—and today we’re releasing it as a free download from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Check it out. The screenshots speak for themselves:

We’re calling this release a preview because a few of our hallmark features aren’t in there yet (picture sharing, for example). That said, the app works wonderfully, so download away! Cut down on SMS fees with in-app messaging, and enjoy the easy group creation and management tools that our users already love on iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry.

We’re grateful to Microsoft for helping us kick off this app’s development at Mobile Acceleration Week. Furthermore, this app wouldn’t have been possible without our awesome HackNY intern. We’re proud to participate in HackNY’s stated mission of “federating the next generation of hackers for the New York innovation community,” and even more proud that we’ve produced something awesome together. 

That’s all for now! Go ahead and download the new app here.

PS.: Stay tuned for lots of new features in the coming weeks… we’re very excited to show you what we’ve been working on!

Happy Independence Day from GroupMe

Whether you’re headed to the beach, to a barbecue, or just enjoying the extra time off at home, we’d like to wish our American users a very happy Fourth of July weekend. 

And now that we think of it, getting together with friends and enjoying the summer sun sounds like a perfect time to share GroupMe with the people you love! Set one up with some friends this weekend and coordinate barbecue plans, or use it to stay in touch with new friends after the weekend is over. What you do with it is up to you.

Tell us about your Independence Day weekend with GroupMe (send an email to stories@groupme.com) and we’ll send a free GroupMe t-shirt to our favorite responses. It’s perfect for a hot summer’s day. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Photo via gemstone on Flickr.

Let’s talk about Feature Requests!

For the past few months, we’ve been taking your feature requests and talking about them in a special section of our support site. After 44 requests and hundreds of votes, we’re going to take a minute today to talk about some of the most popular requests and how we’re addressing them. Exciting, right? Let’s do it!

Let users participate from the website

Our most-requested feature is the one we want the most too! This one is definitely planned. In fact, it’s being tested in our office right now. It looks awesome. So, yes. It’ll be here before you know it.

Build an app for Windows Phone 7

Oh yeah, it’s on its way. We love the Windows Phone 7 platform and have been hard at work developing an app (including in-app chat) for people who use it. It looks beautiful, and we think you are really going to love it. We’re starting to test it internally now, so look for it soon… 

Only allow certain users to send messages within a group

This one’s tough. We know that a lot of people are using GroupMe to provide announcements, where only one or a few people actually send messages to the rest of the group. We also know that the way GroupMe works now doesn’t provide too many administrative options for people who want to create announcement-style groups like this.

For right now, we are still focused on creating the best possible experience for group messaging, the way we do it. We may build out an announcement product at some point in the future, but it’s not on the roadmap right now. 

Groups far and wide are still using GroupMe for announcements, and loving it—email us if you have questions about using it for your group’s needs. We’re always happy to help! #)

Increase the group size limit

Not right now. Groups get really crazy when they get close to 25 people (our current limit). Phones don’t stop buzzing and people start complaining. It’s not a great user experience, and it increases the potential for spam and abuse.

That said, we’re always willing to raise group limits for people who use GroupMe responsibly! Just shoot us an email and we’ll help you out!

Allow users to participate via email

We think the new web interface will make up for this one.

Turn off message notifications when you want

Yes. This is in the works. We’ve supported this via text message for some time, but a much-improved mute function will be coming to the app before too long. 

Make a landscape mode on the iPhone app

Yes! Next version.

Create a GroupMe API

We’re inching toward a true public API. For now, we have a really great client library for iOS and Android developers, giving you the ability to drop GroupMe functionality into your app in minutes. Read all about it here, and request your key here. 

Well, that’s about it for now. What else do you want to see? Post your ideas in our Feature Requests forum; we’d love to hear from you!

Neighborhood watch group uses GroupMe to stop crimes as they happen 

This week, we received an amazing email from Bob in Detroit, who is using GroupMe with his neighborhood watch group to stop crimes as they happen before the police can even jump into action.

We’re too amazed by this use case to try to summarize it any further, so we’re publishing it in its entirety. Please read his note:

Crime. Drugs. Murders. Corruption. Homelessness. Crappy schools. Everything you’ve heard about Detroit is true.

But there’s a lot you may not have heard about. Urban gardens. Bike culture. Green space development. A redeveloped riverfront. Growing neighborhoods. Arts. Music. Detroit’s a long way away from Shangri-la, but small pocket neighborhoods featuring low rent are attracting young professionals who want an urban experience.

My small neighborhood, Hubbard Farms, consists of about 250 homes and has been consistently solid for over a century. That’s not to say we haven’t had to face up to typical urban issues on a weekly basis. Car theft and B&E’s [Ed.: breaking and entering] are common. The infamous Hotel Yorba, a pay-by-the-week rental behemoth, sits at one end of the neighborhood. This is the last chance for most of the people there to have a roof over their heads. Many are fine citizens. But once in a while, you get some meatball who makes or draws trouble.

The neighborhood has a well-used listserv but email communication is not the best way to communicate emergencies. We wanted to reach each other faster, and GroupMe was our answer with group texting.

Since March, we’ve been able to stop a home invasion, interrupt a car theft in progress, and snap a clear photograph of a vagrant chucking bricks through picture windows, all due to our ability to amass a large number of persons very quickly to the scene of the action.

GroupMe has provided a sense of empowerment in our community. We always know we have dozens of eyes and ears on the street. And if there is trouble, we know our neighbors are just a text message away. Detroit has a long way to go, but with communities using technology that supports the more positive efforts, we are just that much closer to where we all want to see things go. Better.

Bob

Thanks, Bob. We’re humbled and inspired by your story.

As always, we want to hear how you are using GroupMe in your everyday life. Send us an email at stories@groupme.com. 

Photo via bbcworldservice on Flickr.