Today, a lot of apps are designed to be used for mobile devices only – smartphones and tablets. This is the case with Kik Messenger, the wildly popular social chat app that more than 40% of young Americans use as their primary texting tool. Usually, the way an app is designed to be used is the best way to use it. If you have come to this site, though, you are probably wondering if there is a way to use Kik Messenger from the comfort of your home computer. There is, and to do it you may also need to know How To Download Kik Messenger APK files.
Why Kik Messenger?
“Mobile Messaging is rapidly becoming the primary way users engage socially on mobile.”- Keith Teare
It’s not an overstatement to say that Kik Messenger is the most exciting entry into the growing social chat app field of last ten years. A lot of fans like it because of how Kik Messenger protects your privacy. Unlike your standard text app, you don’t share your phone number, email, or any other personal information when you chat with new people on the Kik network. All they see is your Kik username, which is your permanent account login, and your display name.
Since the app hit the field in 2009, more than 275 million people have downloaded Kik Messenger, and about half of its users are on the app at least once a day. No doubt this success is owed to the many built in features Kik offers, such as the in-app instant picture and video sharing, group chats, games, chat bots, stickers, and so much more than members of the Kik network use every day to make their messages more personal and interesting. A lot of people rely on Kik Messenger for their social chat throughout the day while away and look forward to relaxing with it on their PCs when at home.
What Is an APK File?
You cannot use Kik Messenger on any device without the .apk file. An APK file is the .exe file of an Android OS. When we download a file to install on our Windows PCs, it comes in an ‘executable’ file with the .exe extension. Most of us are familiar with this. On an Android device, the extension is .apk. When you download an app from the Google or Amazon app shops for Android, it is an APK file that downloads and installs.
There are times when we may want to download an APK file directly, bypassing the app stores. Certain Android emulators that we use to run Kik Messenger on our PCs work with an APK file. Also, if we want to use an earlier version of Kik Messenger on a smartphone, tablet, or home computer, we have to get that version’s APK file onto our PCs. If we want to use it on our phone or tablet, we then transfer the APK file to our mobile device.
Downloading an APK File
You will find several sources for APK files on the Web. It is important to choose as reliable a source as possible. Kik Messenger only authorizes downloads at the official Kik app stores (Google, Amazon, Apple, and Windows). Downloads at other sites can be outdated (which we expect when looking for an older version) and might contain adware, malware, or viruses (not common, but possible).
With that in mind, and with your virus protection updated on your PC and your Android device, if you’re transferring the APK file there, here are two sites that offer various versions of the Kik Messenger app.
Again, use caution as these download sites are not authorized by Kik Messenger. They may contain adware, malware, or viruses. Use your own judgment. If it doesn’t look or feel right to you, DO NOT DOWNLOAD.
- Android Drawer offers APK files for Kik Messenger versions 5.5.1 (undated) through 8.2.2.639 (10/21/2015).
- APK4Fun provides downloads of Kik Messenger APK files from versions 7.1.0.83 (03/25/2014) through 10.4.0.6032 (05/12/2016).
To install a version of Kik Messenger using an APK file on your home computer (Windows PC), use an Android emulator and follow its instructions. If you choose to transfer it to your mobile device, be sure to change the security settings in your device to allow installation of apps from “unknown sources.”
Terms of Service
In most instances what you are going to do with an APK file outside of the standard installation process of any app is, technically, a violation of the Terms of Service (TOS) of that app. Also, a few things you may want to do with an APK file involve an app that might require you to root or jail break your mobile device for it to work, which is a violation of your carrier’s and manufacturer’s TOS.
You may wonder what a TOS is and how serious an infraction it is when you violate one.
Every time you register at a web site or download an app, you are presented with a Terms of Service (TOS) agreement that no one ever reads. The TOS spells out in precise detail how the app or web site is meant to be used, which is extremely important information, but as we begin to read it, our eyes glaze over. We can’t be bothered with reading the thousands upon thousands of words of legalese that obscure what’s really important so we scroll to the bottom, check the “I agree” box and go on with our business on the site. We only think about it later if we hear or read somewhere that something we have done is a violation of TOS. It is then and only then that we might wonder how serious a transgression it is to violate TOS. Can we be prosecuted? Will we be ordered to pay a fine, or sent to prison?
In the vast majority of cases, the answer is, “No.” Violating a TOS in the ways most users do it is not a criminally or civilly liable offense.
Minor TOS Violations
The TOS violations most of us are likely to perpetrate is breaking a rule on a site like Facebook. For example, the TOS at Facebook limits each of us to having one profile that includes only truthful, accurate information, and users must be 13 years or older to have an account.
Many, many people have at least two profiles – one to keep in touch with family and friends and another for playing games with hundreds of “friends” we’ve never met outside of the game. Several people I know to be 17 years old show as 22 years old on their Facebook profile because they first opened an account when they were 10 years old but claimed to be 15. Their profile shows inaccurate or false information. What to do?
The most serious action Facebook will take is to suspend one or both of the accounts. This can be an inconvenience, but we still get to choose our own food and sleep in our own beds at night.
More Critical TOS Violations
There are TOS violations that can land a person in a lawsuit or worse, but those mostly involve copyright infringement. Nothing we’re talking about here goes anywhere near that.
Still, think long and hard before you mod an app like Kik Messenger or alter your device to use apps that require ‘rooting’ or ‘jail breaking.’ Any of these actions can make your device less secure and, in the case of the device itself, terminate all warranty support.
When you violate TOS in an app like Kik Messenger by modifying the app in some way you are no longer able to call on the support team to help you when a problem comes up. Fortunately, users rarely run into problems on the Kik network. Another problem with modifying the Kik Messenger app (or any other app) is that your app no longer automatically updates. That’s not a problem if your modification is going back to an older version of Kik in the first place.
By far, the most severe consequence that might come upon you from violating Kik’s TOS is opening yourself up to adware, malware, viruses and hackers. As it is designed and when used as intended, Kik Messenger is a safe and sound app that protects you and your device. Modifying the app or using it in a way other than intended compromises Kik’s security features. The developers make no guarantees and offer no remedy if someone hacks your IP or sends you a virus on a modded Kik.
Violating TOS on your mobile device – as in rooting an Android or jail breaking an iOS smartphone or tablet – still won’t send you to the big house, though these actions do have added serious consequences. Along with opening yourself to viruses, malware, and hackers, you no longer have a warranty on your device. If you brick your phone or tablet after rooting or jail breaking it, neither your mobile service provider nor the manufacturer want to hear from you about it.
Now that you know How To Download Kik Messenger APK files, you have more choices as to how you use your favorite social chat app. Just be sure to have your virus and malware protection up-to-date before downloading files from sites you do not know. Only the authorized app stores are guaranteed to have the most current and absolutely safe versions, but sometimes we have to go to other sources to get the .apk file we want. While the cautions here are important to note, don’t get too hung up on them. Oodles of people are using their home computers to find new Kik Messenger friends and chat with them there, and do it perfectly safely. You will, too!