#ThursdayTool - Kik

Tool Profile:

Kik Messenger

Type:

Instant messaging client

Synopsis:

Kik Messenger, commonly called Kik, is a freeware instant messaging mobile app from the Canadian company Kik Interactive, available free of charge on iOS and Android operating systems. It uses a smartphone's data plan or Wi-Fi to transmit and receive messages, photos, videos, sketches, mobile web pages, and other content after users register a username. Kik is known for its features preserving users' anonymity, such as allowing users to register without the need to provide a telephone number or valid email address.

The rise of chat.

Smartphones have become a part of us—always on, always within reach to connect us with our friends and our world.

Today, many teens and young adults are slowly moving away from social media and are looking towards chat as their primary source for communication and information. And where better to turn to for a fun, safe place to connect? Kik, of course!

Kik was founded in 2009 by a small but passionate group of University of Waterloo students. At the time, chat between Blackberry (yes, Blackberry), Android and iPhone users wasn't possible, so Kik wanted to break down barriers and build a company that would allow users to chat with whoever, whenever.

Today, Kik is the best way to connect with friends, no matter where you meet them. But it’s also become so much more. As the only chat platform built especially for teens and as a clear leader in chatbots, Kik will become the central hub for everyday life for teens across the world as the platform continues to grow.

To date, we've raised $120.5M from Foundation Capital, RRE Ventures, Spark Capital, SV Angel, Tencent (maker of WeChat), Union Square Ventures, and Valiant Capital Partners.

With millions of users and an incredible team, plans are well under way.

Original author(s):

Kik Interactive Inc.

Developer(s):

MediaLab AI, Inc.

Initial release:

October 19, 2010

Stable release:

Android (15.37.2.25113 on Wikidata / 19 August 2021)

iOS (16.0.6 on Wikidata / 26 August 2021)

Operating system:

iOS 10 or later,

Android 4.1 or later

Available in:

English

License:

Freeware

Website

www.kik.com