Kik has been around long enough for most of us to become familiar with its dangers and pitfalls, as well as its potential. There are good reasons why there are so many millions of users and I count myself as one of them. As a messenger, there are few apps that are better. As a flexible way to share messages, pictures, videos and ideas, few apps can come close. If you’re new to the app, here are some of the best Kik app tips and tricks I’ve ever found.
Read Kik messages invisibly
Kik always tries to let you know what’s going on. Every time you send a message, you will see a status for it. You will see sent, delivered and read with the first letter of each status displayed next to each sent message. Most of the time, it’s okay, but what if you want to take a look at a message without revealing that you’ve read it?
Some people assume that if you don’t immediately respond to a message that something is wrong, you ignore them or whatever. This is often not the case, so reading a message without letting them know works. Put your phone in airplane mode and read the message. Then close Kik, turn off airplane mode and reopen Kik.
Use Kik on your Windows desktop
If you regularly sit at a computer and don’t want to check your phone every 5 seconds, you can use Kik on your desktop. You can run Android apps on your desktop using an Android Emulator called Bluestacks. Download and install Bluestacks, let it verify your mobile number and install Kik from Google Play Store.
Even if you’re an iPhone user, you can use the Android version of Kik as long as you have a Windows desktop. You’ll just have to verify your number with Kik for it to work.
Bluestacks isn’t free despite what its website says, but you can pay $2 a month for it or let it show you ‘supported apps’ that help you pay for it to develop. It’s a bit shady after being said to be free, but the app is otherwise too good to miss.
Check if one is legit
As with any social network, you encounter a lot of scammers and people pretending to be someone else on Kik. The same rules apply to Kik as anywhere else online, approach everyone and everything with a healthy dose of skepticism until proven otherwise. If you are chatting with someone whose voice you like, you can control them.
A web app called TinEye is often used by Kik users to check if someone is legit. It is a reverse lookup tool that takes a profile or posted image and scans the internet to see if it appears elsewhere. If the image appears elsewhere, there’s a good chance your new friend is fake. If not, they could be real. It’s far from proof, but it’s as good as it is now.
Make your friends wait while typing
Like many chat apps, Kik shows the other person as you type, so they’ll know when a response has arrived. In responding, it helps conversations flow without one side bombarding the other. Did you know that you can trick Kik into thinking you’re typing and therefore trick the person you’re chatting with?
This has obvious limited use, but it’s kind of fun.
- Select ‘Your Account’ on Kik.
- Change your last name to ‘it writes…’ while leaving your name as is.
Your display name will change to NAME… and the person on the other end will sit there and wait for your message.
You are never alone with a boat
Are you around at odd times of the day? Are you usually online when you don’t have friends? You are never alone on Kik as there are so many bots to talk to. Some are better than others and some are obvious marketing tools, but there are a few Kik bots that can have a pretty good conversation.
Visit the Kik Bot Store to see the latest bots on offer. There’s a pretty wide range of topics, from fashion to news and everything in between. Choose a bot, start a chat and go from there. It saves you from sitting there in silence!
Create, store and use smileys on Kik
Smileys are not only fun but also currency on Kik. As you use Kik, you accumulate Kik Points, which can be exchanged for smileys and more. Kik also has the Smiley Shop, which stocks all kinds of shapes or graphics to use in chats. Now you can manage them all with Locker. Think of it as your online school locker that keeps everything you encounter on Kik ready to store and use.
Customize your Kik speech bubble
It’s often the little things that make the biggest difference, and for me at least, discovering how to customize the speech bubble has made things a lot more interesting. I admit I’m a little late to the party, but this is one of the best tips I’ve gotten.
Open Settings in Kik and select Chat Settings. From there, you can customize the chat bubble as you see fit. Other customizations depend on the platform and age of your Kik release, but there’s a lot you can do here.
I’m still relatively new to Kik but I enjoy my time with the app. Of course there are the usual fake people, scammers and typical low-IQ idiots, but there are also some pretty cool people who are happy to chat and spend time getting to know you. Just for that, Kik is worth a try. If you’re coming to the party later than me, you can get started right away with these Kik app tips and tricks.
Got any other Kik tips to share? If you do, tell us below!
