Facebook Launches CatchUp, An Audio-Only Chat App

Facebook is launching a new audio-only app that lets people know when their friends are available for voice conversations.

CatchUp is the latest experimental app developed by the Facebook NPE team. The app is currently being tested in the U.S. and is available on both Android and iOS.

2020 was supposed to be the year of Voice. But we all know what has happened to 2020… Nevertheless, Facebook is on trend with CatchUp, a new app entirely dedicated to voice conversations.

“Keeping in touch with friends and family is important, especially during this time of physical distancing. Messaging and video calls are great ways to send a quick update or connect with someone face-to-face, but speaking with someone over the phone offers a unique balance of both convenience and personal connection,” explained Nikki Shah from the Facebook NPE team.

“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 that they may reach them at an inconvenient time. CatchUp addresses this problem, and even makes group calling as easy as one tap.”

Making voice calls is nothing new on Facebook. Both Messenger and WhatsApp offer to place voice calls within their apps. But CatchUp offers something more. Not only does it work with your phone’s contacts, but it also shows you, at any time, who is available for a voice call.

To use CatchUp, you will have to download the app, but a Facebook account is not necessary.

After downloading the app, CatchUp will ask you to confirm your age, type in your first and last name, and add a photo for your account. The last step will be for you to confirm your phone number.