Everything you need to know about the messaging app making a comeback…
by Lydia Spencer-Elliott |
Updated on
Whatsapp, Threads, Instagram - in today's world, one app to keep in contact with your close pals is simply not enough. With new social media platforms emerging every day (and some old ones making a comeback), there's a million and one ways to keep up with your friends.
And prepare to add another one to your roster, because apparently the kids are back on Kik. Yep, that Kik. So, allow us to talk you through everything you need to know about the retro app that's seemingly making a slow and steady reappearance…
What is the Kik app?
Let us travel back in time to 2010, when the cool crowd's Blackberry BBM left the rest of us silently crying on the sidelines. Kik appeared as the new kid on the block, allowing iPhone and Android users to get in on the instant messaging fun.
Essentially, it’s just a free messaging app that allows you to use your email address to sign up and automatically moves all your phone’s contacts over onto the app. More than a decade after it first launched, Kik is still proving popular because it has more privacy and anonymity compared to other apps like Whatsapp or iMessage. Unlike the others, there's no need to verify your phone number - meaning you can totally hide your identity, for better or for worse.
Is Kik a dating app?
Primarily, Kik is designed for messaging friends and not for finding the love of your life. But the platform does encourage romantic chats through two of its internal apps: Flirt! And Match & Chat. Sort of like Kik’s answer to Tinder, you can swipe left or right to chat to different users and they can swipe to find you, too.
Many users want to match with strangers and strike up some conversations - which is why users have taken it upon themselves to set up websites such as Kik Friend Finder.
Users can post a brief description of themselves and what they're looking for on the page, alongside their username for other kik users to find them. Warning: it's not all entirely PG.
But the website is bringing another issue for Kik users. Some are finding their usernames being uploaded onto the website without their permission, resulting in an influx of unwanted (and often explicit) chats.
Why is the Kik app controversial?
Going online and chatting to strangers isn’t a new concept. After all, we've all lived through AOL chatrooms, MSN, Chat Roulette and Omegle...
But what’s worrying about Kik is the increased anonymity. You can sign up with only an email address, and not even a phone number is required. There's nothing tying you to your actual identity, and it only takes two minutes to set up a new email account. Essentially, you really can be anyone you want on Kik.
This simplified sign up process has long proved dangerous with the app’s young users. In January 2016, a 25-year-old man from Louisiana was convicted of using Kik to extort naked photos from young girls aged between 8 and 14. And earlier this year, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation branded the app a 'predator's paradise.' Apple’s App store now recommends the app should only be used by people over the age of 17.
How do you delete your Kik account?
If this has left you ready to say goodbye to the app for good, deleting your Kik account is very simple. Just open the Kik account deletion page, enter your username and email address, write in the form why you’re leaving Kik, agree that you’re permanently deleting your account and click go. You’ll then get a deactivation email, which includes a link to permanently delete your account. One tap, and you're done.
But if you’re not quite sure whether you can say farewell to the app for good, you can also temporarily deactivate your account. To do that, you'll want to open the Kik account deactivation portal, enter your email address and click go. Then pop on over to the email you are sent and click the deactivation link in your latest message from Kik. If you want to come back to Kik later, just sign back into the app using your details to reactivate your account.
No social media is inherently good or bad, and it's all down to how we use them - but it's worth reminding yourselves to always keep your wits about you.
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Kik is an instant messenger popular among teens. The cross-platform app is used to exchange pics, videos, and gifs with friends. Kik users can also play games, meet new friends with similar interests, and more. Kik is well-loved by teens and adults alike.
Kik is primarily a messaging app, but it also has internal apps, including Flirt!, a Tinder-like experience that serves up potential matches to the user—encouraging them to swipe for their preferred matches.
One of the most popular messaging apps among kids is Kik Messenger app — but it's also one of the most dangerous. The app encourages interaction with strangers, makes anonymity very easy, and provides little protection for kids. All of this adds up to trouble, and parents need to know what kids can encounter on Kik.
One of the big reasons Kik is so popular is you only need an email address to sign up. There is no need for any other identification making it very easy to sign up and get involved. Within a couple of minutes, you can be registered and chat with friends with the confidence of complete privacy.
Kik is available on iOS, Android, and Amazon's Kindle Fire, making it compatible with a majority of devices. Once downloaded, you only need to provide an email to register your account and select a user ID.
Unlike other messaging apps, Kik uses your username rather than personal information to connect you with other users. This means you can keep your email address and phone number completely private.
Loose rules: Kick has fewer regulations for content creators, especially regarding gambling, providing creators with greater freedom in content creation. Competitive revenue split: Kick offers astreamers a significant advantage by giving thema higher percentage of their profits compared to Twitch.
Like many other social media services, Kik has garnered negative attention due to instances of minors exchanging explicit messages and photos with adults causing law enforcement and the media to frequently express concerns about the app.
Even though Kik does not trace user messages directly but they can trace your chat history from their databases if they want to. Therefore, any data breach incident on Kik's servers can expose your chat history. Hence, the personal data and private information you shared through your chat can become public.
You can use this process to increase what capacity of your meeting network. You must be already knowing that KIK is not designed for dating. However, it still allows you hookup meet new individuals through different methods. Although they do have adalah names, they serve different purposes.
The Kik app is free to download and Kik will never ask you for money or for any payment methods. If there's someone claiming to be Kik, you should report them here. Keep in mind that standard data charges may apply when using the Kik app.
Provided you have an account (or make one if new), then you can use Kik Online via your browser. On the Kik.com website, go to the login page and type in your user name, then your password and click Enter. You can now use Kik. The other alternative is to find an in-browser emulator.
If you can't look through the person's phone, you can search for them on the Kik app's search bar! To get started, download the Kik app and create an account. Then, go to their search bar and type in a name, username, email address, or phone number they could've used to create the account.
Share a variety of multimedia, including photographs, movies, emoticons, doodles, and GIFs. Like Skype, Kik allows live video chats.Access to group chat (up to 49 additional users).Follow and interact with entities in entertainment, media, and other categories through promoted chats.
Kik Messenger is shutting down despite the service having millions of active users around the world. The company said it was closing down the messaging service so it could concentrate on the Kin cryptocurrency it has also created.
Reason with your child and tell them about the dangers of Kik and other anonymous platforms so they understand they can only use it if they let you see who they're messaging. Kik is not safe to send pictures or to message others anonymously.
There are a lot of bots on Kik because Kik allows people to release bots onto Kik and then they make money if people click on the bots links and even more if they actually buy the product. Kik even has some of its own official Kik bots running around like Samantha Huggins and her cousin Sammy.
After downloading and installing Kik from an authorized app store, users choose a username, a display name (first and last name) and a password, and provide an email address and their birthday to create their account. Users may be asked to complete a CAPTCHA when they finish entering their account info.
Groups of people can be created and made public for other people to join or request to join. Once accepted, they can communicate openly with all other members of the group. A newer feature to Kik is the ability to send Gifs and video calls with the person you are talking to. Anyone can use the video call feature.
Introduction: My name is Mr. See Jast, I am a open, jolly, gorgeous, courageous, inexpensive, friendly, homely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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