Back in April, Microsoft introduced Who's In, a tool that integrates into Apple's iMessage service. Today, the company has launched the service as a standalone application. In other words, it is not just integrated in iMessage. The app is available as a download on iOS and Android.
Who's In gives users an easier way to plan events with friends. Users can search the app for things to do, for example movies or places to eat. It is also possible to create custom events and send them to contacts on a device.
Users on iPhone can share these events with a “Who's In” and the response back will be “What is this and why are you sending it to me”. Users can easily select an activity from a list of tabbed events.
In theory Who's In makes it easier to plan an event or night out across multiple contacts. The app leverages the power of Bing to suggest meet times and organize other points. The new dedicated app confirms the following features for the app:
- Eat and Drink: Find restaurants options that your friends will love – you can search by cuisine, location, or price. The flexibility of Bing search at your fingertips.
- Watch a Movie: Find movie options with ratings and review details. The movie cards even link to show time information.
- Attend an Event: Find upcoming concerts, football or baseball games. Why not see if some friends can join?
- Create Your Own: Need help scheduling an event you're hosting? Use Create Your Own to make planning your next get together with friends easier.
App Details
Microsoft has released the app with plenty of bugs it seems. Early reviews for the app point to glitches and a frustrating user experience. We guess Microsoft will sort this out with patches. If you have used Who's In, let us know how the app is treating you.
As I said when it launched, Who's In is more about testing Bing integrations in services:
“My guess is Who's In is Microsoft putting its Bing integration to work. It would be a solid prediction to say the company is testing the water and will leverage Bing in more engaging ways in the future.”
