begroupd
By Amanda Bindel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Do-all, be-all chat tool won't work for every group.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
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begroupd
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What’s It About?
Teens add friends to their BEGROUPD contacts or invite their existing phone contacts to download the app with a message sent from within the app. Once connected, they can set up different groups for their contacts and communicate with those groups by creating events for them to RSVP to, asking yes/no questions, setting up polls, or asking for ratings. They also can just chat, too, via text messaging within the app. The events created are synced automatically with the device's calendar, too, but that can be disabled in the settings.
Is It Any Good?
This very handy tool makes group communication easier, but it's only effective if everyone in the group is using an iPhone. The survey section cuts to the chase of what many group chats are about -- making plans and getting consensus from the group -- and organizes that so it's easily accessible and not lost as chats go off on a tangent. At the time of review, the app is only available for iOS, so not everyone will be able to join in on the group messages. It's also free, but the terms of service include language that sets it up to potentially charge a fee in the future. In terms of safety, content is totally dependent on the users, and teens should carefully curate their contacts to avoid sending a message to someone they shouldn't.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teens and social media. To understand why the immediacy of messaging apps such as begroupd is appealing to teens, read Common Sense Media's report "Social Media, Social Life: How Teens View Their Digital Lives."
Read more of our tips about cell-phone parenting, including monitoring texts and handling over-texting.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: July 31, 2015
- Category: Social Networking
- Publisher: Re:group'd Media Inc.
- Version: 1.0.2
- Last updated: July 27, 2016
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