Telstra disbanding Tribe social media service

It comes as little surprise, but Telstra is shuttering its Tribe social networking service on September 10 and is warning customers that relied on the unmetered access to content that they may need to consider upping their data plans.

Unlike Facebook, Twitter or MySpace, Tribe wasn't a social network in its own right, but an aggregator of these popular services. Designed before the smartphone boom, it was a way for Telstra to offer a stripped back view of the social networking sites for customers with simple, low powered phones.

Customers can check new content and post updates for free using Tribe, but upload a photo costs the same as sending an MMS.

Telstra is claiming that it is now seeing 60% less traffic to its Tribe portal, though if we're honest, we're surprised it has lasted this long. Have you been using Tribe? We'd love to hear your thoughts about it closing down.

Joseph Hanlon

Editorial Director | X | LinkedIn

Joe Hanlon has been immersed in mobile phones, plans and the internet for over a decade, having written for publications like CNET, Techradar, Gizmodo and Lifehacker. He steers the editorial ship and makes sure that we are always serving up the most useful guides and recommendations. If you ever bump into Joe on the street, don't be afraid to ask for a phone recommendation. It's embarrassing how much he enjoys talking about this stuff. He also loves listening to podcasts, so feel free to email Joe with recommendations.

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