Kik Messenger

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on January 07, 2013

Kik Messenger is a popular cross-platform chat app. OK, so that describes a lot of tools. But Kik's kicker is speed: It boasts some of the fastest notification and messaging hookups in the chat universe. Like similar apps, Kik Messenger makes it easy to find and add friends, share photos, and set up Group Chat sessions. We tried Kik Messenger's free Android app.

It's easy to install and set up Kik Messenger, even if you need to create a new account, though the ability to sign up via your Facebook account (as some other chat apps have) would make things even easier and quicker. Kik offers to find friends automatically using your address book contacts, or you can enter them manually. We tried both; neither is significantly better or worse than we've experienced with similar chat apps. As is often the case, we started by choosing a profile picture. The app's settings use Android's menu style, which makes for easy changes as well as a familiar look and feel. One neat feature let us change the color our phone's LED displays when we receive notifications (though your phone's technology must support this feature to use it). Another feature that sets Kik Messenger not only apart from but also above most other chat apps is a Support Center with an actual Help file, FAQs, Community & Safety guidelines, and more. The Support Center also offers a lot of facts about Kik Cards, which enable additional features on Kik.

So, is Kik Messenger faster than other chat apps? That's hard to say, though clearly it's not slower than the competition. Your connection speed will be a factor. But Kik Messenger is certainly one of the fastest chat apps we've tried. Most chat apps are fairly simple tools, and you probably have a good idea of how they work. But details like a decent Help file often reflect greater care in developing a program. At every turn, we found Kik Messenger to be the equal of other popular chat apps we've tried, and better than most. We certainly got a Kik out of it!