Kik Messenger - BBM for iPhone

[terakristen]

Hi!

I'm Tera - I'm the Community Manager for Kik. We have developed Kik Messenger, a cross-platform messenger that is very similar to BBM. We didn't think it was fair that you had to have a BlackBerry in order to have a BBM style experience, so we took it to the iPhone.

You can check it out in the App Store here.

And there's also a short demo video on YouTube.

I would love to hear what iPhone users think about the app, as well as what you think about the marketing. Are you interested in the product? I'm new to this game and learning as I go. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread so please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions - I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

 

[swizmd]

Excited!

I just switched to iPhone from Blackberry (3 days ago)

The thing I miss the most is BBM. I can not wait to get my BBM contacts to try Kik so that I can have the same utilization as BBM. Selfish, I know, but they will save money too!

Will let you know how it goes after I get them to install.

 

[jw nyc]

Doesn't whatsapp do the same thing?

 

[terakristen]

Also excited

Yes - WhatsApp is a very similar messaging app. But, Kik Messenger is different in that you can send messages to any phone number in the US and Canada - the recipient is not required to have the app in order to receive your message.

Also, we are the first messaging app to have versions available for BlackBerry, iPhone and Android (which is in beta now) - so we are proud to be truly cross-platform.

I'm very interested in what iPhone users think about the application - and how it works for you. Especially from someone that has migrated from a BlackBerry and is very familiar with BBM. So, Team iPhone - what do you think??

 

[ignign0kt]

So when sending and receiving SMSs to and from non-kik users, does it use a kik email address instead of a phone number?
Not sure I see why you'd pay for credits when it's just email.

edit: Nevermind, I tried it out and looks like it picks a phone number for you.

 

[terakristen]

Yes - so the server assigns a number. We do this because we want the number to be local for whomever the recipient of the text is - so that they don't accrue any extra charges for texting you back.

That assigned number can be always used to text you directly - and those messages will appear in the app.

We do this because we want all our users to be able to text whomever they want - and not be limited to only those people using the app. Do you think this is necessary? Does it help with spreading the word about Kik?

 

[mbhforum]

Been using it for a few days. Very buggy, duplicate messages, screen doesn't automatically refresh which forces me to go back out of app and back in and sometimes the messages r displayed out of order. It feels like it's in beta. I have an iPhone 4....

 

[terakristen]

Ah that sucks to hear - but we're working on all those issues for the next version's release. As a quick fix please try deleting Kik and then re-installing - this should help with the annoying out of order and duplicate messages.

I really, really appreciate your feedback - we're working very hard on our iPhone client and it's people like you that make it much easier

Let me know how it goes for you please

 

[mbhforum]

Ah that sucks to hear - but we're working on all those issues for the next version's release. As a quick fix please try deleting Kik and then re-installing - this should help with the annoying out of order and duplicate messages.

I really, really appreciate your feedback - we're working very hard on our iPhone client and it's people like you that make it much easier

Let me know how it goes for you please

Thanks Tera. I will be to willing to assist any way I can bc there is a huge need for this app between bb's, iPhones and androids. When is the next release? I really miss bbm from my bb.....

 

[mbhforum]

Just an update l, a reinstall did not fix the issues I mentioned above.

 

[dccorona]

how do you charge for texting from the app after those 50 free outgoing texts a month get used up?

also, have you considered becoming ad driven and than having a premium version thats paid for that removes the ads?

might increase your userbase

 

[terakristen]

Just an update l, a reinstall did not fix the issues I mentioned above.

We've been receiving a lot of feedback concerning iOS4 running iPhones - we're working very hard to get these issues resolved. You should see another update in the next few weeks (and you won't have to delete before upgrading!)

I really, really appreciate you taking the time to post on this thread - I'm the Community Manager at Kik and by no means an expert at using apps. I can understand the frustration when something doesn't work - and I love that you haven't given up on us!

@dccorona: I think you will notice a nice little surprise in the Settings of the app - As a company we would never charge you unknowingly or automatically for anything without very explicitly outlining it for you. The messaging app will remain ad-free because we have a little something up our sleeve here

You early adopters of Kik Messenger have taught us so much about apps and what they take (~10 hour work days and lots of energy drinks) and we cannot wait to provide you with better and better products and service in the future. Thanks Kiksters!

 

[Scuba629]

I do like this app a lot! It shows great promise thats for sure.

a few things that bother me at least right away and take from the user experience.

*My contacts seem really messed up. I have a few unknown entries and I can't remove anything. if I send someone a request to join it looks to remove their name and change it to their number
* Link or pull pictures from my addressbook to show when your chatting with them and include them in the addressbook when broswing.
* I can see when a message is delivered to a android user but not a blackberry user. for an android user it goes from S - D - R but for a blackberry user it only goes from S - R.
*On whatsapp they add a "favorites" tab so that you know who is using the app. Not that I want this app to take on the same shape as them but I do fine that to be a great feature.
*a little color is always nice. if you were to allow us to set a wallpaper or something to jazz up our windows that would be very nice.
*lastly emoticons.. I always have a hard time remembering how to make each smiley face.

I haven't had the app crash on my iPhone 4 yet but I do feel that the contact issue really should be address first. It can make it a little hard to use.

 

[terakristen]

I do like this app a lot! It shows great promise thats for sure.

a few things that bother me at least right away and take from the user experience.

*My contacts seem really messed up. I have a few unknown entries and I can't remove anything. if I send someone a request to join it looks to remove their name and change it to their number
* Link or pull pictures from my addressbook to show when your chatting with them and include them in the addressbook when broswing.
* I can see when a message is delivered to a android user but not a blackberry user. for an android user it goes from S - D - R but for a blackberry user it only goes from S - R.
*On whatsapp they add a "favorites" tab so that you know who is using the app. Not that I want this app to take on the same shape as them but I do fine that to be a great feature.
*a little color is always nice. if you were to allow us to set a wallpaper or something to jazz up our windows that would be very nice.
*lastly emoticons.. I always have a hard time remembering how to make each smiley face.

I haven't had the app crash on my iPhone 4 yet but I do feel that the contact issue really should be address first. It can make it a little hard to use.

Thanks for all the great feedback - I will definitely pass this along. The receipts being different between BlackBerry and Android is definitely interesting...

Keep your eye out for a new iPhone update in the next week. It's coming! (Spoiler alert: EMOTICONS!)

 

[Scuba629]

Thanks for all the great feedback - I will definitely pass this along. The receipts being different between BlackBerry and Android is definitely interesting...

Keep your eye out for a new iPhone update in the next week. It's coming! (Spoiler alert: EMOTICONS!)

Wow.. That is great news... I can't wait and I will keep my eyes open for the update.

 

[Mitchelino]

I've always used plain old texting to contact friends with phones. I've always found BBM to be "stupid" (for lack of a better word). The idea that BBM can only be used to contact Blackberry owners is silly in my mind (as are iPhone apps that can only contact iPhone users). Most of my friends don't even have a smartphone! However, more and more seem to be getting blackberrys. But there are still the few that go for an iPhone, Android, or other devices.

we are the first messaging app to have versions available for BlackBerry, iPhone and Android (which is in beta now) - so we are proud to be truly cross-platform.

I'm happy to finally see a service that can work between many platforms. It's a huge improvement to the many services that are exclusive to 1 phone. For now, texting is still my preferred method of communicating with friends' phones, but I'm glad there is finally a cross-platform option. I wish you the best with your app! I hope it catches on

 

[djgulia]

When is the Android app going to be available?

 

[Scuba629]

When is the Android app going to be available?

it already is... and from what my friends tell me they just updated it too.

any word on the iPhone update?

 

[864646]

this app is a great idea. i wanted this app cus my girlfirend has a bb and is in hong kong and i want to talk to her. wats wrong??? but wenever i try to send an sms it says i dont have any sms credits. i JUST downloaded it. isnt there 50 free ones each month?

 

[djgulia]

it already is... and from what my friends tell me they just updated it too.

any word on the iPhone update?

Thanks. I'm going to give it a try with family that have phones running Android.

Edit: I just got the same thing. Telling me I have no SMS credits. IMO not worth it to buy credits. I'll just use my text plan then.

 

[Scuba629]

They had an issue with the SMS credits today. Should be plenty soon if they arent there already.

 

[dramaking13]

We Need Group Chat!

Love this app! We need emoticons too! Im a blackberry user, so I have BBM, but if you could make group chat, that'd be AMAZING. Like it'd be the coolest thing. ever. PLEASEEEE MAKE GROUP CHAT! ) and maybe a little customization? Thanks for the app! cant wait for more updates!

 

[OverSpun]

Looks good! I downloaded it just now. I have a friend living in Germany, and I have an idea for him to try it on his blackberry, so I'm going to have him switch in with his US SIM to setup kik, and then switch back in his germany SIM.


Also, last question: What does it mean inside the app asking about paying us texts, why? It says "free" under the info in itunes.

 

[OverSpun]

Well, I think my idea was going to work, but... My friend has an CDMA blackberry.

Do you guys plan on making your app for other for Europe?

 

[terakristen]

They had an issue with the SMS credits today. Should be plenty soon if they arent there already.

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry for the late reply - I'm not getting the forum notifications :S

Yes, there was an issue with the SMS credits yesterday - it's currently been fixed. We have disable the SMS credits (so you don't see how many you have) but you are still able to send messages to non-Kik users. If this wasn't automatically fixed for you please try deleting and reinstalling the app (it's all completely free right now!)

Also in terms of additional support for other countries - we definitely do hope to extend our service we're just not exactly sure when. The more interest we garner in the app here in North American the better! So tell all your (local-ish) friends! I would absolutely love to get support worldwide - it's just not possible at this point in development. (This is true for other features of the app too, some will come sooner than others though).