GroupMe, a messaging app owned by Microsoft, was revitalized in 2024 with Copilot. Since that major update, Microsoft has quietly worked on additional AI features for the app. This week, GroupMe gained support for 4o image generation powered by Copilot.
Within any GroupMe chat, you can tag @Copilot and ask the tool to generate an image. For example, you could ask Copilot to transform an image into a specific art style.
You can also tag Copilot and ask for help with plans, facts, and topics of discussion.
It’s interesting to see GroupMe gain new features. The app has been around for ages, but it is more of a niche app that’s popular on college campuses.
With the death of Skype, GroupMe is one of few casual communication platforms owned by Microsoft. While there is a free version of Microsoft Teams, many view Teams as a tool for work or education.
GroupMe: What’s new
Upload + Prompt
Drop an image into your group chat and tag @Copilot with what you want to see. That selfie from last night? Turn it into an album cover. Your coffee pic? Make it look like a Renaissance painting. Your imagination is the prompt.
“@Copilot make our group selfie look like a 2000s boy band album cover”
“@Copilot turn this burrito into an oil painting”
Quote Reply to Riff on Shared Pics
See something wild? Reply to your friend’s message, add @Copilot and your idea. This is where inside jokes become visuals.
“@Copilot turn Justin’s dog into a 90s action figure”
“@Copilot make Max look like a medieval knight”
Not Just Visuals
Copilot can bring your group’s creativity to life with image gen, but that’s just the start. Use it to:
- Plan your next move: “@Copilot help us plan a weekend trip to Nashville with food, music, and one weird museum.”
- Fact check your friends: “@Copilot is it true octopuses have three hearts?”
- Start something new: “@Copilot draft an email we can send to local businesses for our fundraiser.”
- Get homework help: “@Copilot explain the transitive property like I’m 5”
- Spark ideas: “@Copilot we want to start a podcast—throw us some name ideas and a first episode topic.”
Copilot can only read and respond to messages where it is @ mentioned. And it will remember the context of the times it is mentioned by anyone in your group chat.
What is GroupMe?
GroupMe is a messaging app that first launched in 2010. Shortly after launching, GroupMe was purchased by Skype. Around one year later, Skype was then purchased by Microsoft.
As a result, GroupMe has been under the Microsoft umbrella for well over a decade, but it was left largely untouched for much of that time. Microsoft released a major update to GroupMe in 2024 that overhauled the app and added AI capabilities.
Earlier this year, Microsoft added several Copilot features to GroupMe. That journey continued this week with the latest update to the app.