Facebook Launches 'Catchup' Audio Calling App

[MacRumors]

Facebook is testing a new app that's designed to help friends and families in the U.S. to coordinate phone calls or set up group calls with up to eight people.

"Catchup," built by Facebook's internal R&D group, differs from other group chat apps, in that the calls are audio-only, not video, and displays users' status to indicate they're available to talk.

Catching up has never been this easy. See who's available and effortlessly join one-on-one and group calls. Never play phone tag or make an appointment to call someone again. Keep in touch more, think about it less. Any time you're free to talk, CatchUp!

According to TechCrunch, the app appears to take cues from the recently highly popular Houseparty app. For its part, Facebook says the app was built so that people can make calls when they know the other person is free, because not knowing is "one of the key reasons people no longer make phone calls."

CatchUp won't need a Facebook account to use the service -- the app works with your phone's contacts list. The app also gives users privacy settings so they can control who can join 1-on-1 and group calls.

Catchup is a free download for iPhone available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Facebook Launches 'Catchup' Audio Calling App

 

[itsmilo]

So one of the highlights is that it’s audio only? ... lol

 

[ruka.snow]

Throw stuff at a wall and see what sticks. This is the 3rd or perhaps 4th app from this company that is continuing to fade into obscurity. Wonder if it will be as fondly remembered as myspace.com.

 

[ikir]

So one of the highlights is that it’s audio only? ... lol

No for example another feature is Facebook recording all the calls.

 

[Tubamajuba]

I assume the video only, text only, video and text only, video and audio only, audio and text only apps are coming soon? Did I miss any?

 

[Lapidus]

Should have been "CatchApp".

 

[calstanford]

So much „innovation“ in Silicon Valley. It‘s amazing.

 

[otternonsense]

Come on FB, just release dark mode for the main FB app already and don't pester users with more gimmicks

 

[ervingv]

No for example another features is Facebook recording all the calls.

Who cares if they are recording. None of us are that important for any big company to care to listen to any of the things we have to say. Same goes with people paranoid about privacy on the web. Once you signed up with an Internet service provider, your privacy was long gone.

 

[AngerDanger]

CatchUp won't need a Facebook account to use the service -- the app works with your phone's contacts list.

Nice! I can avoid the monetization of my personal information by not logging into Facebook and instead… uploading my contact list!

 

[ervingv]

Throw stuff at a wall and see what sticks. This is the 3rd or perhaps 4th app from this company that is continuing to fade into obscurity. Wonder if it will be as fondly remembered as myspace.com.

Facebook is way bigger than mySpace ever was. Facebook also has other huge properties like WhatsApp and Instagram which are doing fine.

 

[jdclifford]

I assume the video only, text only, video and text only, video and audio only, audio and text only apps are coming soon? Did I miss any?

Maybe Apple can come up with something along those lines? Maybe call it FaceTime? Just a thought.

 

[kissmo]

When you become a billionaire and people get excited over any junk you vomit on the market.
Don't comment guys, his strategy works it seems!

People buy into it... and I am finding myself trying to explain my children why FB can be such a junk for their lives....

 

[itsmilo]

Who cares if they are recording. None of us are that important for any big company to care to listen to any of the things we have to say. Same goes with people paranoid about privacy on the web. Once you signed up with an Internet service provider, your privacy was long gone.

i wish people who make those kind of stupid comments ever had to experience living in East Germany

 

[ervingv]

i wish people who make those kind of stupid comments ever had to experience living in East Germany

Yes, Facebook is just like the East German authorities. Great comparison.
[automerge]1590580667[/automerge]

i wish people who make those kind of stupid comments ever had to experience living in East Germany

And if you are so worried about surveillance and lived in East Germany, why are you on the Internet?

 

[JKAussieSkater]

Who cares if they are recording. None of us are that important for any big company to care to listen to any of the things we have to say. Same goes with people paranoid about privacy on the web. Once you signed up with an Internet service provider, your privacy was long gone.

Firstly, the OP was making a joke — nobody is sincerely expecting this app to spy on our private conversations.

Secondly, many people are disagreeing with your post—myself included—on the basis that despite our probable insignificance, tailored advertising does have a probable real-life consequence of promoting online purchases. Even though I would like to believe I'm not easily influenced, the reality is that if advertisers say the right words and present the right products to me, I will be compromised.

So although we surrender some privacy by using the internet, it's still important to withhold what you can.

 

[itsmilo]

Yes, Facebook is just like the East German authorities. Great comparison.
[automerge]1590580667[/automerge]

And if you are so worried about surveillance and lived in East Germany, why are you on the Internet?

i don’t have Facebook, have a throw away email address for anywhere I sign up, even use a twisted letter in my last name for online orders (still gets delivered successfully) and use a raspberry to block all outgoing connections.

also I am not saying that everyone has to do be this serious but just saying „I got nothing to hide“ is just ignorant

 

[sentiblue]

I don't understand why such a mega corporation cannot write a comprehensive app. I've aways thought messenger being separate from the main FB app was a was of time/resource. Not there's an audio only. Doesn't messenger already have audio only mode? I can only imagine they want to test something else but dont wanna break existing apps, so they got a new one instead. And I certainly hope they are not engaged in another campaign of data collection.

 

[ervingv]

Firstly, the OP was making a joke — nobody is sincerely expecting this app to spy on our private conversations.

Secondly, many people are disagreeing with your post—myself included—on the basis that despite our probable insignificance, tailored advertising does have a probable real-life consequence of promoting online purchases. Even though I would like to believe I'm not easily influenced, the reality is that if advertisers say the right words and present the right products to me, I will be compromised.

So although we surrender some privacy by using the internet, it's still important to withhold what you can.

Thats fine. We all agree to disagree. Now we can all move on with our lives.

 

[riverfreak]

Insidious and brilliant.

It’s not like Facebook doesn’t already maintain dossiers (I mean profiles) of everyone regardless if you are a FB user. Now they’re encouraging people to upload their contacts list via an app not immediately associated with Facebook. What a great way to flesh out the graph. in the end we’re all Facebook users.

How we let our phone numbers become UUIDs is truly amazing. Devs at tech companies shake their heads and laugh in disbelief every single day.

 

[JKAussieSkater]

I don't understand why such a mega corporation cannot write a comprehensive app. I've aways thought messenger being separate from the main FB app was a was of time/resource. Not there's an audio only. Doesn't messenger already have audio only mode? I can only imagine they want to test something else but dont wanna break existing apps, so they got a new one instead. And I certainly hope they are not engaged in another campaign of data collection.

I'm *VERY* happy that there is a separate Messenger app to Facebook. Visiting Facebook is very distracting, I can accidentally waste so much time scrolling through those feeds. If I need to contact a friend, I can do so with minimal disruptions using the separated app.

 

[swingerofbirch]

The thing about knowing if someone is available is something I've missed from the AIM days, not s much for calls but for sending messages.

 

[supremedesigner]

So... how does this work for deaf people? This is 2020, not 1990. I wouldn't trust anything coming out of Facebook... like listening to your conservations, etc.

 

[riverfreak]

I'm *VERY* happy that there is a separate Messenger app to Facebook. Visiting Facebook is very distracting, I can accidentally waste so much time scrolling through those feeds. If I need to contact a friend, I can do so with minimal disruptions using the separated app.

The distraction is totally deliberate and heavily, heavily engineered. Just remind yourself of that every time you use it.

 

[JKAussieSkater]

The distraction is totally deliberate and heavily, heavily engineered. Just remind yourself of that every time you use it.

I agree, and for this, I am very thankful for Apple implementing the "Screen Time" function. I limit Facebook to 15 minutes per day, and I never use the override function. Now I'm in the habit of not using Facebook.