Standing down · See the notice above
One number.
Everyone gets the message.
Your group gets its own phone number. Text it, and it goes to everyone in the group. They text back, and you get theirs. That is the whole idea — and it is the idea another team is about to open to everyone, free.
Works on any cellphone that can send a text — including flip phones. No app to install, no account to make, no password to remember.
One message to the group number reaches every member.
How it works
Six text messages, start to finish. Nothing to download, nothing to sign up for, nothing to remember afterwards.
Start the group
Text a name to our main number and you get back your group’s own phone number. That number is the group from then on — save it in your contacts the way you would a person.
Add people
Send the phone number of anyone you want in. They get a message telling them which group they have joined and how to leave, so nobody is added to something they cannot get out of.
Just talk
Anything that does not start with # is an ordinary message and goes to everyone else in the group. Their replies come back to you the same way, with their name attached.
See who is in
There is no member list to open, because there is no app. Text #WHO and the list comes back as a message you can scroll like any other.
Pictures and calls
Picture messages go through wherever your phone and plan support them. And if you call the group number rather than texting it, it rings the other members.
Leave any time
One word, and you are out — no settings screen, no confirmation you cannot find. Texting STOP instead stops every message from us, everywhere, immediately (that one needs no #, so it always works).
What you can text
Send any of these to your group’s number. Every command starts with a # so we can tell it apart from an ordinary message. Capital letters are not required — and if you forget, just text #HELP.
- #ADD 555-010-4321
- Add someone to the group
- #REMOVE 555-010-4321
- Take someone out of the groupRequires group admin
- #WHO
- See who is in the group
- #INFO
- See the group name, size and number
- #NAME Book Club
- Change the group's nameRequires group admin
- #ADMIN 555-010-4321
- Let someone else manage the groupRequires group admin
- #LEAVE
- Leave the group
- #HELP
- See this list on your phone
- STOP
- Stop all messages from us
- START
- Start receiving messages again
Built for people the group chats left behind
Plenty of communities organise themselves by text message — carpools, shifts, minyan times, a street’s worth of neighbours. Then the group chat moves to an app, and the people without smartphones quietly drop out of the conversation.
GroupItUp runs on the plainest thing every phone can do: sending a text message. If a phone can text, it can be in the group.
- No smartphone required. Flip phones, old handsets and basic plans all work.
- Nothing to install. No app store, no updates, no storage space.
- No account or password. Your phone number is how we know you.
- No internet needed. It works anywhere you have a signal to text.
- Join as many groups as you like. Each one has its own number, so each is a separate conversation on your phone.
- Pictures work too, on phones and plans that support picture messaging.
- Call the group number and it rings the other members.
What it costs
GroupItUp is free to use. We pay for the phone numbers and the messages, so your group can keep running for as long as you need it.
Your own phone carrier may charge you for texts, exactly as it does for any other message you send. Check your plan if you are unsure.
You can leave at any time by texting #LEAVE, or stop every message from us by texting STOP.
No strings
- No subscription. Nothing renews, so there is nothing to remember to cancel.
- No trial that runs out. The group you start today still works next year.
- No card details, ever. We never ask for payment, so there is nothing for anyone to take.
- No lock-in. One word leaves the group, and one word stops every message from us.
Questions
Do I need a smartphone?
No. If your phone can send and receive text messages, it works. Flip phones are fine.
Does it cost anything?
The service is free. Your phone carrier may charge for texts under your own plan, the same as any message you send to a friend.
How do people join my group?
You add them. Text ADD followed by their phone number to your group’s number, and they will get a message explaining what happened.
Can I be in more than one group?
Yes, as many as you like. Each group has its own phone number, so each one is a separate conversation on your phone and nothing gets mixed up. You can only start one group of your own, though.
Can I send photos?
Yes, where your phone and plan support picture messaging. Very large pictures and long videos may not get through — if that happens, the group is told so nobody is left wondering.
Who can see my phone number?
The people in your group. Your messages arrive with your name on them, or your number if nobody has given you a name yet.
How do I stop getting messages?
Reply STOP to any message from us and we will stop immediately. Reply START if you change your mind.
What happens if I text the wrong thing?
Nothing breaks. Anything without a # in front of it is treated as an ordinary message to your group. Text #HELP any time to see the list of commands.
We never sent the first message
Everything above is how it was going to work. Another team is about to open the same thing to everyone, for nothing — which is the outcome we wanted anyway, and they will reach it sooner than we would have. Thank you for reading this far.