Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used in violation of your Kik Messenger terms of service. Please consult Kik Messenger’s terms of service for more information.
Kik Messenger is the best chatting platform available. If you think this is a bold claim consider that, unlike any other messaging apps native to your smartphone or tablet, Kik Messenger allows you to chat to people without having to give them your telephone number or any other personal information. All you need to chat to other people is a unique username that you choose when you sign up to the app. This is a great way to protect your privacy online as your username does not need connected to any information about you you do not wish to share online.
If this is not enough to convince you of the advantages of using Kik Messenger to chat with your friends and make new ones, consider the number of users the app has. More than 200 million people have registered on Kik Messenger, most of which use it everyday. 200 million users cannot be wrong!
Kik Messenger was designed as a mobile app so, in theory, it can also be used on your smartphone and/or tablet. Whether your mobile devices run on Android (created by Google) or iOS (created by Apple), is quite irrelevant. Kik Messenger is available on those operating systems without any restrictions. You can download the Kik Messenger app from the Google Play Store or from Apple’s App. store part of iTunes, depending on what operating system your phone or tablet runs on. The best thing about this is that Kik Messenger is totally free.
A common frustration among Kik Messenger users, however, is that the app is not accessible form computers. This is the official version and, of course, if you decide to choose any other method to access Kik Messenger, you should consult the app’s terms of service to avoid committing any violations.
Kik Messenger is, actually, available to download on Windows PC. All you need to do so is to get an Android emulator. As there are some different emulators, in this article we will show you which ones are available and what advantages and disadvantages they all offer.
First, let us make it clear that even if you normally use an Apple product (iPhone or iPad) to access Kik Messenger, an Android emulator is the best way to get access to Kik Messenger online using your PC.
Why Use an Android Emulator to Download Kik Messenger for PC?
“I believe Android will be stronger in the developing world than it is in the developed world.”- Fred Wilson
Because of Apple limitations on apps, an Android Emulator is the best solution to run Kik messenger on a Windows PC.
If you do not use Android, you might notice certain differences as far as comparing it with iOS (Apple’s operating system). However, Android operates in a lot of the same principles as its main competitor so you will become familiar with Android in no time.
How does an emulator actually work?
Android emulators use some of your computer’s memory (in this case, your Windows PC’s memory) to trick it into thinking that it is, in this case, an Android OS (operating system). Once you download an Android emulator, you will be able to run it within Windows. This will give you access to all the apps and features that you would have on an Android mobile device (again, remember that you do not need to own an Android mobile device to use an Android emulator). If this sounds complicated, read on and you will see that it is, actually, quite simple. You do not need any previous knowledge, and if you follow our guidance you will have an emulator up and running in no time.
Here is the list of requirements for running Kik Messenger on an Android emulator:
- Android emulator: this may seem like an obvious thing to say but you do need an Android emulator in order to be able to run Kik Messenger on your PC.
- Google Play Store: in order to download and run an Android emulator, you will need to have an active Google Play Store account. This is because, as Android was developed by Google, you will need the Google Play Store to get apps, including Kik Messenger.
- Kik Messenger: you also need your login details for Kik Messenger. If you have never used Kik Messenger on your phone or any other mobile device and are just interested on accessing on your PC, you can sign up once you have downloaded an Android emulator and open an account on Google Play Store. You do not need to use your phone or table for this, if you do not wish to.
As you can see, there is nothing too tricky or difficult about this at all. All you need to do now is decide what emulator would work best for you. Before we go over the list of Android emulators available, you need to ask yourself what you are going to use your emulator most for. If it is just for Kik messenger, pretty much any emulator will do the trick. However, once you see what Android emulators are actually capable of, you might decide to get the one that suits all your needs first.
A word of advice on Android emulators: some of them are free and some of them offer some features for free and others for pay. It is, of course, entirely up to you, which kind you would prefer. Just think that Kik Messenger is free on your Android or iOS mobile device, and it will be free as an app no matter what Android emulator you choose. Is it worth paying any money for an Android emulator you will use to get access to a free app?
Here is the list of the best and most popular Android emulators available (in alphabetical order):
- Andyroid
- BlueStacks
- Genemotion
- Manymo
As they all have advantages and disadvantages, we will go one by one highlighting the best of each Android emulator.
Andyroid
This came first in our alphabetical list for the obvious reason a Sesame Street viewer should be able to comprehend. However, it should also be on the top of any lists of Android emulators for its flexibility and design. Andyroid not only can run all Android apps flawlessly, but it also has a simple and elegant presentation.
As many other Android emulators there is a free version and a pay version of Andyroid. The choice is yours to make but take it from us, you will not need to pay version to access Kik Messenger or any other apps.
Another advantage of Andyroid is that you can also operate it on your PC from your phone or tablet using Bluetooth.
Some people refer to Andyroid as Andy OS. So, do not be confused Andyroid and Andy OS are one and the same thing.
BlueStacks
Another hugely popular emulator, BlueStacks is perhaps less elegant in its design when compared to Andyroid (this is really down to your personal preference; you may find BlueStacks nicer looking than Andyroid, and who are we to judge, really?).
BlueStacks is the favorite choice of many users interested in playing online mobile games on it. Kik Messenger works wonderfully on it so it is definitely a great choice. If you would also like to use it for playing games, it should absolutely be considered. BlueStacks is free although, of course, some of the apps available through the Google Play Store are not (do not worry, Kik Messenger is not one of those).
Genymotion
Genymotion is one of the most fancy Android emulators out there. Genymotion has a free version although you can, as it is often the case with emulators, pay for some extra features.
If you are thinking this option for downloading Kik Messenger, be aware that you will be presented with a lot of features you do not need and might not even know what to do with. Once again, it really depends on whether you want to use an Android emulator just for Kik Messenger.
Manymo
Manymo (think of Downton Abbey character saying “many more”) remains one of the most popular Android emulators available. I say “remain” because some users have reported problems with it (at least, with the free version). However, the problems tend to be more about gaming, so if you just want an emulator for Kik Messenger, Manymo should fit that purpose just fine.
One of Manymo’s distinctive features is that, unlike the other Android emulators, requires no download. You access Manymo through your browser. This gives you the added advantage that you can access Kik Messenger on any computer (at school, at a library, a friend’s house, etc.)
All these emulators have great things about them, you just need to consider whether you only need an Android emulator for Kik Messenger or if you would like to run other apps or play games. Also, flexibility and design might play a part on your decision.
If you are not sure which one would be best for you, test them all for a while to find out which one you like best. All of them will allow you to access Kik Messenger on your PC so you have nothing to lose!