GroupMe Goes Global, Adds Direct Messaging

Group texting app GroupMe is out with version 3.0 of the service. It adds a slew of updates, including direct messaging, a new beta feature called “Questions” and global access to the app.

GroupMe launched last fall as a group messaging solution — a kind of SMS chatroom. Over the past year, it has amped up its features to compete with similar services like Fast Society and the Facebook-owned Beluga, adding bells and whistles like location and photo-sharing.

Fast Society has been consistently rolling out new additions as well — most recently video — but Beluga seems to have stalled back in March. Apple, in the meantime, is planning on releasing a new messaging service called iMessage (which includes group messaging) — part of iOS 5.

To keep up with the times, GroupMe is out with a few more tweaks to round out 3.0, which is available oniPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7 devices.

Changes include:

• Availability in 90+ countries on 900+ carriers.
• Enhancements to the web app to make it fully-functional.
• The ability to send messages to an individual (yes, like a text message).
• A “Questions” feature that lets users create opt-in groups and adds the ability to poll audiences on Facebook and Twitter.