Hello, World! Rejoice! Soon we’ll be launching a group audio call service for smartphones, called “Grouphone“. It is just a simple app for your smartphone that will do just one thing: let you have audio conversations with multiple friends at a time, using the internet.

We’re bringing it first to Firefox OS in March 2015. We’ll bring it to Android and iOS in the next few months.

Why Grouphone?

This has 2 answers:

0) You have many other smartphone apps that let you call over the internet. Usually, they also do a lot more things than that, e.g. group chats. Grouphone is focused on giving you a good group audio call conferencing experience; minus the distractions.

1) Firefox Hello is already available and it gets to the point of using web as a platform for connecting friends. But given its decentralized nature, it can connect only two people at a time. We’re extending that to bring audio calls to entire group of people on Firefox OS, as nothing such is yet available on that platform. And, it will work on even 3G connections.

What’s more: We’re going to keep Grouphone Forever Free for Firefox OS – that’s just to appreciate Mozilla on building an open mobile ecosystem. Hi5!

[Download Press Kit]

FAQ

Q: When can I get to try it?
A: We will launch an early beta of Grouphone on Firefox OS this March. If you are interested to get an early invitation, request an invite at the Grouphone website!

Q: When will this be available on Android?
A: We will make the web version rock solid first, and then look at building a good experience on Android. Let’s say it will take a few months.

Q: How many months?
A: We can’t tell yet.

Q: When will this be available on iOS?
A: Same as that for Android.

Q: Do I need to pay to use Grouphone?
A: If you are on Firefox OS, you will never need to pay 🙂
We may have pricing options for other smartphone platforms in future.

Q: Can I call to regular phone numbers using Grouphone?
A: No. This will only be a Grouphone-to-Grouphone call service.