Away Message vs HelloMe US

Away Message is a status app that lets you tell friends where you are, what you’re doing, or when you’ll be back. It’s meant for quick, low-effort updates that keep people in the loop without turning into full conversations. If you’re stepping out for coffee, going out for the night, or focusing on work, you can post a short note so your friends have context. You can attach a location, a photo, or a song you’re listening to. There are no likes, comments, or feeds to manage. The point is simply to share what’s going on. Each status lasts from 30 minutes to 24 hours and then disappears. You can change the look of your updates with different fonts, colors, themes, and layouts. You can also add photos, drop a pin, or share music from Apple Music. Friends can drop an emoji on your status cards. People connect through simple 6-character codes. You approve who joins your circle and control who can see your updates. Features: • Statuses that expire after 30 minutes to 24 hours • Custom fonts, colors, themes, and layouts • Photos, locations, and Apple Music sharing • Scrapbook-style design for your notes • Private connections using shareable codes • No ads or algorithmic feeds Away Message is for friends, coworkers, and small groups who want to stay aware of each other’s day without constantly messaging. You leave a note, and people see it when they check. Sometimes a quick “brb” really is all that’s needed.

Know when your closest friends are actually free — without sending a single message. HelloMe is a privacy-first presence app for the handful of people who matter most. Instead of "you up?" texts and unanswered calls, everyone just sets a simple color that says how reachable they are right now: GREEN — Free: open for a call, reach out anytime PURPLE — Text me: can't talk, happy to text RED — Busy: heads-down, please hold off One glance tells you who's around. No feeds, no likes, no endless chat threads — just ambient awareness of the people you love. CIRCLES Group your friends into circles — Close Friends, Family, the gym crew — and set a different status for each. You can be "Free" for family and "Busy" for everyone else, all at once. Each circle gets its own look, so you always know which one you're in. HOW IT WORKS • Sign in with your phone number (a quick one-time code — no passwords) • Add friends by number, or optionally find the ones already on HelloMe from your contacts • Set your status per circle; your friends see it update instantly • Get a gentle notification when a friend becomes free — you choose exactly what pings you, with quiet hours • Tap a friend to call or text through your own apps — HelloMe never messages for you BUILT TO RESPECT YOU • No ads. No tracking. No analytics SDKs. Nothing sold. • Finding friends from contacts is optional — phone numbers are matched on our server and immediately discarded, never stored, sold, or shared • Block and report anyone, anytime • Delete your account and all your data from inside the app, instantly HelloMe is for real friendship, not another social network. Set your color. Be reachable to the people who matter — and invisible to everyone else.