WhatsApp has become a household name in recent years, but Kik has recently threatened to take away some of the market share this instant messaging giant carved out. Kik is growing by leaps and bounds.
Unlike apps like Hike or Line, Kik appeals to as wide a customer base as WhatsApp does. This has made it popular with those who are currently displeased with WhatsApp and have been looking for some kind of an alternative.
Comparing Five Features of Both
1) Kik is a vastly superior application when it comes to privacy. The software doesn’t require a mobile number to register an account, and the program works around a username that others need in order to get in touch with other users. This means that Kik would better serve users who are trying to remain discrete, since they can avoid ever giving out their cellular phone number.
2) Kik has some problems when it comes to speed. It can sometimes take quite a bit of time for a message to come through. WhatsApp is essentially instantaneous, and it even has options for those who need to be notified when they receive a message. A vibrate option is provided for times when notification sounds would be disruptive. This is exceptionally useful for those who happen to be in a meeting when they’re waiting for an important message to arrive.
3) Users can send videos through Kik merely by browsing YouTube and clicking on an included button. This makes it quite easy. WhatsApp doesn’t really have these kinds of options, though it still does provide icons and a profile photo box for those who need to share some basic types of media with each other.
4) WhatsApp is friendlier toward those who want to create groups. Kik does provide a conversation mode that numerous users can be added to, but it seldom really works as well as it actually should. It’s very difficult to use, and sometimes it refuses to add a contact to a conversation for inexplicable reasons.
5) Users who want to check if messages were delivered correctly and read can do so with the Kik platform. Unfortunately there’s no way to do this with WhatsApp. This is in part because of the fact that it works with mobile numbers as opposed to discrete user names. That means that there’s no real way to tell if messages are going through, but those who have used older instant messaging programs are probably quite used to this fact.
A Drawback of Both
Both Kik and WhatsApp have a major drawback in common that users might want to consider before picking either. Both of these apps are configured for automatic startup, which means that there’s no need to enter a password when checking instant messages.
This is very convenient for those who have to pick up their phones and periodically check for something, but it means that if a mobile phone were ever stolen the thief could read everything sent to it. They could even theoretically impersonate the user.