GroupMe Blog

GroupMe for BlackBerry 2.0.30

Hey BlackBerry users, today is your day! We’re happy to announce that the newest version of our app is now publicly available for you to download and enjoy.

Here’s what’s new:

In-app chat. Now you have the option of receiving GroupMe messages right in the app instead of via SMS. Talk as much as you want without hitting your text plan.
Instant notifications. You will get messages as soon as GroupMe receives them. BlackBerry notifications also appear in your universal inbox when you receive new messages.
Photo Sharing. Take and share photos with your groups right within the app—or choose one you already took from your phone.
An improved, fresh user interface.
Bug fixes, battery improvements, optimizations.

You can download it here [click from BB], and it will be available in App World soon.

Any questions? We’re here to help.

We’re featured in Android Market!

Our Android app is better than ever, and it looks like someone noticed… we’re featured this week at the top of the Android Market. How exciting!

If you’ve been using GroupMe via SMS, now’s a great time to try the app (on BlackBerry, Android, or iPhone). Start groups more easily, share photos and locations, and stop paying for text messages… all for free.

Announcing GroupMe Featured Groups

Today, we’re thrilled to announce another awesome feature of the GroupMe platform—Featured Groups. Starting today, we’re partnering with five amazing brands to help them connect with fans and bring some exciting, exclusive benefits to GroupMe users. They’re like private fan clubs for the things you love.

Oxygen’s Bad Girls Club - GroupMe users who are in a Bad Girls Club group will be able to receive exclusive content from Oxygen, including reminders about when the show is on, first-hand tidbits from the characters, and access to special promotions. Bad Girls Club featured groups even have the chance to be contacted directly by the Bad Girls themselves!
MTV’s Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew - Once the new season premieres on April 7 at 10 p.m., fans who are in an ABDC group will be able to receive all sorts of content directly from MTV, including behind-the-scenes video clips, photo galleries, insider blog posts, and tune-in reminders. Plus, each week, a few lucky groups will be joined by one of the Crew members, answering fans’ questions directly via GroupMe messaging and conference calling!
Bon Jovi - Legendary rock band Bon Jovi is using GroupMe to help their fans chat about their shows, events, appearances, causes, and anything else. Groups will be automatically entered to win exclusive merchandise including photos, albums, and DVDs signed by the band. Plus, on their 2011 tour, Bon Jovi will give GroupMe users a chance to win backstage passes, upgraded seats, and more!
Bonnaroo - The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is celebrating its tenth year with an amazing lineup, and GroupMe will be helping fans easily plan their journey to Tennessee and stay connected with their friends onsite. GroupMe will be fully integrated into the official Bonnaroo iPhone, iPad, and Android applications, ensuring that no matter who you go with, you’ll be able to seamlessly plan and share a perfect Bonnaroo experience.
Coachella - At this year’s Coachella music and arts festival in Indio, California, GroupMe users in Coachella groups will be able to receive reminders for all the festival’s best bands. Plus, with updates directly from the festival organizers, GroupMe users will be the first to know about any changes to the festival or special promotions taking place onsite.

Awesome, right?

You can start a featured group under any of these brands today through the “Featured” tab in our Android and iPhone apps, or by visiting the landing pages linked above.

Now testing our latest BlackBerry app

If you’re a BlackBerry owner, you’re in for a treat. Today, we’re happy to announce the latest version of our BlackBerry app! We’ve made significant improvements to the in-app chat experience, notifications, and overall performance. In-app chat means you don’t have to use up your monthly text message quota, and you can see photos your friends post as well (photo sharing from the BlackBerry is coming soon!)

If you’d like to give it a try, please sign up below:

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Well, as you may have noticed, things have changed.

Welcome to the new GroupMe.

We’re too excited to wait any longer, so let’s get into it. Here’s what’s new:

Apps

Today, we’re releasing GroupMe 2.0 on iOS and Android, both available immediately.
You can now use GroupMe using your data connection, entirely within the app. In-app chat is faster than SMS and beautiful to look at. If you’re having trouble finding a data connection, though, the app will automatically recommend that you use SMS, like classic GroupMe. It’s totally seamless messaging, no matter where you are.
These apps both also now support location sharing. You can add your location to a message easily and see all group members on an interactive map. Never lose your friends again.
Share photos inline instantly. Capture your group’s moments as they happen.
Add anyone you know to your groups, whether you have their phone number or not. Invite friends via email, or from Twitter or Facebook.
We still give every group a unique phone number, so your friends with older phones can still join in the group chat.
No login required. Authenticate the app once, and that’s it.
Get it now:
GroupMe for iOS
GroupMe for Android

Website and Rebranding

Our main man Poundie had a facelift, and he looks better than ever. Our brand has been completely restyled, thanks to some awesome work by our amazing new lead designer, Kevin David Crowe, and Camillia BenBassat at Avec.
Have you seen the new homepage? We apologize in advance if you spend the rest of your day on it, just scrolling up and down. We’re using it to show off a few common uses of GroupMe, while also showing off that it works on every phone. It’s all thanks to our new front-end engineer Chris Connolly.
The user experience has been revamped site-wide, including a new “Help & Support” tab on every page that allows you to find fast answers to some frequently asked questions, or ask your own.

Shortcode

Today, we’re introducing the fastest possible way to start a group. It’s all thanks to our new shortcode.
Just text START to GROUP (47687). That’s it. Any questions?

SXSW

We’re going to SXSW with big plans and we’re really excited. Start your SXSW GroupMe and learn more now on our hot new SXSW landing page. Add your crew, and you’ll automatically be entered to win VIP tickets to the week’s best parties.

There’s so much more…

But we’re not ready to announce it yet, so stay tuned. In the meantime, go play with our new app! Scroll around on our homepage! Start a SXSW group! Tell us what you think!

As always, send any questions to support@groupme.com, or find us on Twitter or Facebook.

Love,

Team GroupMe

We’re growing again!

It seems like it was just last month that we announced a batch of new hires—oh, wow, it was! Time flies when you’re working hard. Well, we’re back at it again. Today, we’re thrilled to introduce the four newest members of Team GroupMe.

Chris Connolly, a good friend of Jared and Steve’s, started a few weeks ago as our Front-End Engineer and he’s already killing it. He’ll be focusing on usability here, creating beautiful interfaces built on equally beautiful code. He has spent the last few years working in the fashion e-commerce space, and in his free time, manages the website of the band Vampire Weekend.

Geoff Hackett has been hard at work the last few weeks as our Lead Android Developer. He’s been developing for Android since its beginning, and is the creator of the excellent (and useful!) NYC Bus & Subway Maps app, as well as working on Polamalooza and other apps for Densebrain. Under his watch, our Android app is growing up—and it’s on full steam ahead towards the unbelievable 2.0.

Kevin David Crowe starts today as our new Lead Designer. Kevin comes to us from CollegeHumor, where he created beautiful interfaces for their native apps and website and worked on their recent rebranding as Interaction Designer. After he worked on a freelance project with Jared last year, we knew we had to bring him on board. His work is, in a word, awesome, and we can’t wait to see what he does here at GroupMe.

Finally, today is the first day for Tara Cunningham, our new Office Manager! She’s spent the last few years working at MetLife, in many consulting and management roles in cities across the country. Now, she’s jumping headfirst with us into the exciting world of startups. Her skills and drive are unmatched, and we’re excited to have her whipping this office into shape—it’s going to be fun.

With these great new additions, Team GroupMe is thirteen strong. Together, we’re building lots of incredible new things that we’ll be releasing over the coming weeks and months—just wait ‘til you see what we’ve been working on.

Of course, we’re always looking for great new talent to join the team. If you love GroupMe and want to help out, we’d love to hear from you. Send us a note: jobs@groupme.com.