Skype’s GroupMe mobile messaging drops voice to focus on text

GroupMe, the mobile group messaging service acquired by Skype last year, has decided to drop conference calling from its app, apparently because of lack of use. GroupMe will instead focus on its core messaging service. Fortunately, conference calling isn’t going away for those who really want it — anyone who made a call in the last month will be able to use the service indefinitely, and people who haven’t can still petition GroupMe directly to enable it.

It’s certainly possible this is just a smart refocusing move on GroupMe’s part, or a way of differentiating its service from the moderately similar Skype app. However, paring the app down to its fundamentals could be a way of preparing for an eventual integration with Skype. It’s also possible that Skype is more invested in GroupMe’s talent than in the app itself, and is looking to scale it back. While pondering these weighty issues, users can enjoy the new “Like” feature, which saves individual messages in chats.