In the era of online interaction, one social messaging app rises above them all: GroupMe. The social messaging app was launched in 2010 and within months carved itself a permanent spot in the market. GroupMe, now owned by Microsoft, is used by millions of people worldwide, and its success can be attributed to a select few features: the ability to create and send memes, “heart” messages, extend groups to allow as many members as is necessary, and use the app from any device.

Unlike most other social messaging apps, GroupMe is free and available on all platforms: it can be downloaded on iPhones, Androids, and Blackberrys, and can be accessed through the web on a computer or laptop. The app will also send messages directly to a person’s phone if they do not have the app downloaded (and if the messages continue to be ignored for a certain period of time, the website is trained to stop forwarding messages). One reviewer on the Google Play store, Gabster, commented, “This app is very useful with keeping group texts from my class projects. Group messaging is amazing with this app. No more lost text messages. If a person doesn’t have GroupMe, the message is sent as an SMS.” Clearly, GroupMe has found a way to set itself apart from its competition.

GroupMe has become an extremely popular medium for high school students, and many might be curious as to why that is. For starters, GroupMe makes it incredibly easy to work on group projects. Claire Toney ‘17 said, “For the past year I have been using GroupMe for all of my projects. It makes it really easy for everybody to keep in touch and to make sure that everyone is being efficient.” GroupMe can also be used as an alternative to text messaging friends. For those people who have limited texting phone plans GroupMe can be a way to keep in contact without breaking the bank. It also makes messaging a group of people who don’t all have iPhone or Android phones easier. Finally, GroupMe is popular among seniors because most, if not all, college classes have GroupMe chats. These chats allow seniors to discover who their future classmates will be, make friends, find roommates, and ask questions about the school. Taylor Coward ‘17 said, “I joined Howard University’s GroupMe pretty early on and it helped me make my decision. The people in the chat were funny and I was able to get along with them well so I had a really good vibe about the school.”

 
In the past seven years GroupMe has built a reputation for being easy-to-use, affordable, and fun. With every new update Microsoft continues to integrate new and exciting features, maintaining GroupMe as one of the best messaging apps available. If it maintains its popularity GroupMe may just end up with a monopoly on the messaging market.