In this day and age, you’d think it would be simple to just pick up your phone and ask your friends if they want to hang out, grab a bite, catch a movie or go out for some drinks. Or, if you’re an ambitious person with a lot of time, all of the above. With messaging the most used form of communication these days, and numerous apps that support group chats, this should be a simple task. Alas, sometimes you can’t get ahold of your friends which means good luck getting an answer to your question of figuring out who is up for a little adventure.
The good news? Google seems to have your back with a new application called “Who’s Down?” Simply put, it can show you who is free to hang out and do whatever it is you want to go out and do. While most of us might just resort to sending a quick message, in an age where instant gratification is instantly more satisfying, having an app just tell you who can hang out and who can’t merely by opening it up could be a bit quicker and is likely more appealing to those who don’t want to wait for a message response. This way, users can skip the question about doing something and jump straight to the planning stage.
If all this sounds great to you, then you’re pretty much all set. All you have to do is download and install the app and you’re almost ready to start using it. There are a couple of caveats, though. First, you’ll need an invite to use it, similar to the way you needed an invite for Inbox or the way you needed an invite for Gmail back when it was first launched. Users can request an invite through the app itself, and once you’re accepted you can use it to your heart’s content. By now you’ve figured out at least one other catch, the invites will also need to go out to your friends, because without friends in this app you can’t see who wants to hangout, which is the whole purpose after all. The other thing worth mentioning is that users will need to toggle on a slider to let other users know they’re free to do something, which can be limiting if your friends haven’t toggled this on. You can also specify what it is you’re looking to do with specialized tags, and there is an integrated messaging tab so everyone can discuss things after planning is over and the decisions have been made. Overall, if you just want to put the word out there that you’re looking to be social in person without having to actually be social to convey this message, Who’s Down can set you up.
