Dodgeball posted a notice on its site, saying it was acquired on Wednesday. The note did not reveal financial details but did say that Dodgeball's two co-founders are "Google superfans."
Google spokesman David Krane confirmed the buyout Thursday, but did not give further details.
Dodgeball's service helps members link up with friends and acquaintances using text messages sent to phones.
Through acquisitions and its own research and development, Google has expanded far beyond its beginnnings as a search company, offering e-mail applications, photo management and blogging tools, among other features. The expansion has led many to question how far the company expects its reach to extend.
Google has already begun dabbling in the social networking field, launching its Orkut service last year.
CNET News.com's Stefanie Olsen contributed to this report.
