Unless you’re a teen, Kik may well have passed you by. This is a pity as Kik has rather a lot going for it compared to other social media platforms that are way better known.
The Kik platform sets out its stall straight away by announcing its mission is to connect the world through chat. Ambitious.
However, it is instantly apparent that Kik is squarely aimed at a teen market. Sporting a lurid green color scheme and large font size, the platform’s website asks whether you talk in emojis or GIFs. Or are old skool and use, like, actual words.
Either way, Kik has your back, no matter your preferred communication method. However, it is positioning itself as more than just another messaging platform. The app says it is the easiest way to connect with friends, stay in touch, and explore, without phone numbers, just a username.
It is, however, often unofficially touted as a free alternative to Tinder. Though based in Canada, Kik has a worldwide focus and is continually attempting to widen its user base. Evidence of this is in its introduction of translation bots you can add to a conversation. However, this works best in one-to-one chats rather than chats involving 49 people trying to talk at once.
Social media bots you can add to your chats
Scannable kik codes to initiate chats
Safety Center with advice and help for users, parents, and law enforcement
Chat one-to-one or in groups
Share pics, videos, GIFS, games, and more
Make new friends with similar interests
Cryptically, at the last update on January 26, Kik’s developers declared the app was here to stay. They then said they were excited about what is up ahead and would share it soon.
However, when you drill a little deeper, it appears the ‘here to stay’ pledge was a ripple from 2019 when speculation was rife about the future of Kik. Apparently, the platform had been acquired by MediaLab, a consumer internet brand holding company whose portfolio sees 80 million people chatting every month.
Somewhere along the line, they never got round to updating the app’s description. Presumably, they were too busy geeking out over techie stuff.
Curiously perhaps for a platform aimed at teens, Kik announced last summer that it was “deepinging” (sic) its partnership with the cryptocurrency Kin. Kik users would have more ways of earning and spending the crypto within the app.
They first rolled out the ability to use Kin on the platform in 2018. The new partnership saw the launch of new features around games and videos to earn the crypto. Each game played or video watched earns Kin which can be redeemed for chat themes and anonymous Kik chats.
It’s free
Multi-language support
A large community of users
Lots of features and innovations
Little real censorship
Only real suitable for older teens and young adult
Unofficial dating app
Kik can be downloaded from the kik.com website, Google Play, and Apple’s App Store.
