Terms of Service

Last updated: August 2026

These terms govern your use of GroupUs, an SMS-based group texting service. By creating a group, joining a group, or using joingroupus.com, you agree to these terms.

The service

GroupUs lets a group owner create a text-message group. Members join by replying to an SMS invitation or join code. Messages sent to a group's number are relayed to other members by SMS. No app or smartphone is required to participate.

Group owners

• The person who creates a group is its owner and is responsible for that group's billing.
• Group members are never billed directly — only the owner.
• Owners are responsible for having a lawful basis to invite each member and for the content shared in their group.

Acceptable use

You agree not to use GroupUs to:

• Send unsolicited messages to anyone who has not opted in.
• Send unlawful, harassing, threatening, or abusive content.
• Attempt to disrupt, overload, or gain unauthorized access to the service.

We may suspend or terminate a group that violates these terms.

Fees and billing

Each group is billed to its owner via Stripe at a flat rate of $5.00 per month, plus usage. There are no member limits and no additional per-member charges. Usage is billed on the same monthly invoice as the base fee. Fees are non-refundable except where required by law.

How usage is measured

Usage is billed at $0.01 per SMS text segment delivered, and $0.03 per MMS (photo) message delivered. Two things affect what a single message costs:

• Each recipient is billed separately. A message sent to a group of 10 is delivered to the 9 other members, and is billed as 9 deliveries.
• Long messages are split into multiple segments. Mobile carriers divide SMS messages into segments of 160 characters, and each segment is billed separately. Messages containing emoji, or written in Hebrew, Yiddish, or another non-Latin alphabet, use a different character encoding in which each segment holds only 70 characters — meaning such messages are typically billed as more segments than an equivalent message in plain English. This is a function of the SMS standard and mobile carrier billing, not a GroupUs policy.

To prevent a single message from generating unexpected cost, GroupUs will decline to relay any message that would be delivered as more than five segments per recipient. Declined messages are not sent and are not billed; the sender is notified.

Group owners can request their current usage and running total at any time by texting USAGE to their group's number, or by viewing the dashboard.

Message and data rates

Standard message and data rates from your mobile carrier may apply to SMS messages sent and received through GroupUs.

Termination

You may stop using GroupUs at any time by texting LEAVE to a group, or by discontinuing use of the service. We may suspend or terminate access for violations of these terms.

Disclaimers

GroupUs is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free service, including message delivery, which depends in part on third-party carriers outside our control.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, GroupUs is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of the service.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use of GroupUs after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

Contact us

Questions about these terms can be sent to support@joingroupus.com.