Versatility on mobile platforms is bringing portable technology, such as smartphones, together with more traditional computing platforms. Many of the apps that we use on our phones–whether they operate on Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS, or Windows phone–are also available on Windows or Mac computer operating systems. Luckily for you, Kik Messenger can be used on your laptop with not much effort.
This type of flexibility allows users to move between platforms with minimal risk of missed messages or lost information, an invaluable feature in a chat program that’s meant to keep one connected with friends, family, acquaintances and colleagues!
Kik Messenger, an exceptionally popular chat platform, lacks a native application for a Windows or Mac Environment; a little bit of finesse is required in order to get Kik working on a computer. Thankfully, savvy users have coded emulated Android environments that will make setting up Kik on your laptop (Windows or Mac, it doesn’t matter) an easy process.
How Kik For Laptop Works
Computers are hierarchical. We have a desktop and hierarchical files which have to mean everything.- Ted Nelson
Why Android, you may ask? The answer is easy and has less to do with the operating system running on your computer than you might think. Since iOS features a great deal of proprietary coding and hosting, it makes for a much more difficult environment to emulate. Android, on the other hand, already runs across a wide variety of devices and platforms, while iOS only runs on iPhones and iPads.
While it’s handy to be able to emulate any app from the Android environment on a more flexible computing platform like a laptop, Kik Messenger carries its own unique benefits from doing so. One of the primary features pushing Kik to the head of the mobile messenger app pack is its built-in browser. This feature helps to bridge users’ experience between casual web browsing and the fast, viral-post friendly interface of a messenger app.
Though several Android emulators are available online, I can only confidently recommend using a handful of the most reputable applications. These are:
- Bluestacks
- Andyroid
- AMIDuOS
The often-updated Bluestacks is the most reliable of the bunch. The development team behind it operates with a professional efficiency, and a free version of the software is available at no cost to users that want to bring their Android-based apps to Windows laptops and Macs.
Users with older laptops, or laptops with less computing power have nothing to worry about; Bluestacks is a lightweight application that scarcely taxes your computer’s resources. It’s received numerous accolades from major computer and technology-centric publications, making it both a popular and safe platform to host the Kik Messenger app.
Download Bluestacks Android Emulation Software
Before we can get started with that, however, you’ll have to download the necessary emulation software. Use your browser to navigate to the Bluestacks website and download the installation .exe file. This is an easy process that requires minimal user input.
I would also recommend setting up a Kik Messenger profile from a mobile device before running the app on a Windows laptop or Mac. While the process should, in theory, be exactly the same, I find it helpful to eliminate all potential risks for error by setting up the profile in the native environment that the Kik Messenger app is meant to run in.
However, if you’re downloading Kik on your laptop due to the fact that you don’t have a handy mobile device, don’t fret. One of the appealing features of Kik is that it doesn’t require your phone number in order to create a profile on its messaging service; it only requires an username.
Once you have Bluestacks installed on your Windows laptop or Mac, running it should provide you with a window that looks remarkably like a native Android environment.
Install Kik Messenger on Your Windows or Mac Laptop
From here, it’s quite simple to access the Android marketplace and download Kik to your laptop. This is one of the reasons that I recommend Bluestacks above any of the competition; the easy interface means that you’ll have Kik up and running just as easily on your laptop as you would on any mobile device.
First, locate the “Google Play” Android app marketplace. Though you could download the Kik application by itself through your web browser, it’s much more likely to function without error when found through the emulated Android environment of Bluestacks.
The installation process is just as simple as it is on a mobile device; find the app, download it, and you’re ready to go! Because the application is actually running within Android, all of the features that you enjoy about Kik Messenger will now be available on your laptop. If you already have an established profile and presence on Kik, all of your contacts will now be available here as well.
It’s important for users to be aware that this isn’t a roundabout method of accessing Kik Messenger. Bluestacks uses a legitimate Android operating system for you to run the application in. The end result for users is an experience that feels just as good (and thankfully error-free) as using the popular messenger on a mobile device.
Alternative Methods
One caveat that comes with using the Bluestacks Android emulation software is the program’s proprietary advertising system, which can result in unwanted advertisements appearing on your computer. This can be avoided with an inexpensive “premium” subscription, but users looking for a less ad-cluttered experience from free software may wish to use a different Android emulator.
Fortunately, several exist, and while they may not be as flashy or widely-sponsored as the popular Bluestacks, they are reliable hosts for running Kik Messenger on your Windows or Mac laptop.
The first that I would readily endorse is the simply-named Andy. It requires a few extra user inputs during the installation process, but serves the exact same function as Bluestacks, in that it provides a stable Android OS environment to run your mobile applications. It can be downloaded at the Andyroid website, and will provide the same accessibility for your Kik Messenger tasks as an actual Android mobile device.
For those who don’t mind paying a one-time cost for premium emulation software, AMIDuOS is a solid software application that’s newer to the market than Andy or Bluestacks. While its function is relatively the same as its competitors’, it offers a streamlined interface that’s clutter-free, without a subscription cost. Rather than paying a recurring fee for “premium” access, you will pay between $10 and $15 for access to the application. Once installed, it provides the same access to the Google Play application storefront, from which you can easily and safely install Kik Messenger. AMIDuOS can be downloaded here.
Troubleshooting
While each of these emulation platforms is capable of providing an error-free Kik Messenger experience, none of them are designed by Google. Therefore, the occasional obstacle may crop up. Fortunately, most of them are easily dealt with by following a few simple troubleshooting steps.
The most common frustration with any form of emulation software is an application crash. While the software I detailed above is quite well-designed, each has the primary function of hosting applications in an environment meant for a mobile device. If your emulation software locks up or simply closes out due to an error, it can often prove beneficial to give your computer a quick reboot before relaunching the emulation software.
Will this cause a hiccup in the otherwise streamlined Kik Messenger experience? Quite possibly! It will, however, reduce the chance of another crash occurring while the emulation software is running.
Another less frequent error can occur when an application doesn’t download and install properly from the Google Play app store. This can happen due to the reason listed above–the emulation software is actually meant to exist on an entirely different device.
A workaround for this frustration is to download the Kik Messenger .apk file from a different source, then install it manually within the emulation software (all emulators featured above have this ability). However, a few extra precautions must be taken before attempting this.
- First, as you should before downloading any third-party software or files from the internet, ensure that you have active anti-virus and malware protection running on your computer. Individual application .apk files can very easily contain malicious software, but this risk can be mitigated through simple computer security software.
- Secondly, it’s important to note what version of the Android OS your emulator is running. Each version of Android comes with an identifiable moniker (Lollipop, Jelly Bean, etc.), which should be easy to find within the emulation program itself, or on the website through which it was first accessed.
Attempting to run a .apk that’s meant for a newer version of Android OS than you’re emulating will result in further crashes, as well as the intended mobile application not working correctly. Finding the right .apk file, however, is usually a simple process! Several download portals exist for thousands of different versions of popular Android apps, and with millions of people using the Kik Messenger application, you shouldn’t have any difficulty finding a copy of the application that works with your emulator.
Simply type in “Kik Messenger .apk” alongside the version number of your Android OS emulator, then select one of the top download results. Once the file has been downloaded, use your emulator’s method of installing the .apk (usually found within the software’s settings.)
Conclusion
Though you’ll have to jump through a few simple hoops to do it, the Kik Messenger application can easily be run on your Windows or Mac laptop. The in-app browser, extensive networks, and messaging that you enjoy on-the-go can be brought to your primary computing experience at little cost.