The NPE Team from Facebook has announced the launch of an app that’s basically get-together for phone calls (not video calls). CatchUp, which is free to download, lets users see who’s available to voice chat, and then allows them to initiate both one-on-one and group calls within the app.
CatchUp is a standalone app that is not connected to the Facebook app. You don’t have to have a Facebook account, or an account with another Facebook-owned company, to use it. Instead of running on Facebook friends, it works by letting the app access the contacts on your phone and builds your friend list from there. So, it doesn’t mean all of your relatives who are your Facebook friends will be able to call you more easily — just all the randos in your contacts who have also downloaded CatchUp.
I think this is a very nice app and it comes at the right time as it will prevent you from spending your hard-earned on purchasing airtime and help bring people to stay in touch during this era of social distancing.
Users on Catchup can make calls 1-on-1 or group calls with up to 8 people. Creating a group is extremely simple and starting calls is a one-button tap.
Talking about the app’s uniqueness, Facebook is trying to solve the issue of people hesitating to call their friends and family because they are worried about disturbing them. The app solves this by indicating who is ready and available to take calls right in the opening screen of the app.
Based on our studies, we found that one of the main reasons people don’t call friends and family more frequently is that they don’t know when they are available to talk or are worried they may reach them at an inconvenient time. Says FB
Facebook says it is “testing” CatchUp for a “limited time” in the United States for iOS and Android. If you’re in the United State, ready to chat, and are fine with giving Facebook-affiliated service access to your contacts, you can download it now.
Others should expect the app to roll out a few weeks from now once testing is complete.
