Although it is true that people who use the Kik Messenger keyboard are able to communicate with each other using a whole host of different features, including video, audio, etc. the instant messaging app continues to be mostly used for text messaging. Most users prefer to communicate with writing instead of video chatting. So most of them have to use the Kik keyboard.
Even if you decide to send video, audio, or use the brand-new video chat feature, the likelihood would be that you would also combine this with typing messages. For example, if you are in the habit of sending pictures to the people you chat you probably also include a written message for every picture you share on the cake messenger app.
Using the Kik messenger app for text messages may not seem that appealing. After all, any of the large number of instant messaging platforms available for free (we are talking about the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc.) enable their users to share text messages. It is true however, that the Kik messenger app offer some really cool features that makes it into the preferred (or, at least, one of the preferred) methods of communication among teenagers not only in the United States but also in many different countries around the world. We do not want to get the wrong idea that everyone who uses Kik messenger is a teenager because that is simply not true (although teenagers are among the most numerous and active users of this particular app).
So, why would you choose to just share text messages (what to do so primarily) on the Kik messenger app? Well, there could be many different reasons for this and to some extent we will address these on this article.
Sending and receiving text messages on the Kik messenger app is convenient for a host of different reasons:
- For one thing, the Kik messenger app is totally free to download and install on virtually any smart phone. So, whether you have an Android device, a Windows phone, or an iOS device such as an iPhone or an iPod touch, you can download Kik messenger app for free just by heading to the relevant App Store on your smart phone. But the benefits of typing in your messages end there.
- Many people use the Kik messenger app in situations where it would not be possible for them to speak out loud, let alone talk on camera. We are talking about busy cafe’s, school, offices, public transportation, airports, at home late at night, watching TV with other people, etc. in situations such as those the ability to communicate in writing is pretty much precious.
If you think that writing messages on your smart phone is super boring, think again. It really is in with a Kik messenger app thanks to its great keyboard.
“We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain”- Stephen Hawking
What Is So Great About The Kik Keyboard?
OK, see you may be wondering what could be so special about the Kik keyboard. After all, a keyboard is a keyboard. What can you do that would be so cool? Well, if that is how you feel you will feel pretty bad when you realize how wrong you are. In fact it will be quite good when you see all you can do with the Kik keyboard.
For years there’s absolutely nothing special about the Kik keyboard. When the application was first released back in October 2010, its keyboard could not do anything worth talking about other than what keyboards are expected to do, anyway. 2010 may not seem that long ago but in the instant messaging arena, in the realm of mobile apps, or in anything to do with smart mobile devices, six or seven years are a really long time. The market is so competitive, what with the new apps being launched all the time and existing ones being constantly updated that the Kik messenger app only has a chance of surviving and remaining so popular if it keeps doing exactly that: keep updating itself.
Not to blow our own horn, but one of the best ways of keeping up-to-date with anything new to do with the Kik messenger app is to regularly visit our website and read our articles and tutorials. There is just simply too much to keep up with when it comes to Kik!
Last year and the year before was rich in new features be released, all of which we have covered one way or another in this website. In case you missed it, the new Kik keyboard was released 2015. You would think that, by now, most Kik users would know all about it and how to make the most of it. But, as they say, old habits die so, even though they are constantly releasing new features, some users that are said in their old ways I do not realize that they could be doing so much more with the instant messaging app.
So, whether you are a new user or whether you have been using the Kik messenger app for quite some time now, in the section and in the rest of this article will show you some of the great things you can do using the keyboard.
There are so many cool features that you could be forgiven if you have not noticed or appreciated enough how great the keyboard is. The truth is, however, that even if we just choose to primarily communicate via text messages you can communicate with more than simple words thanks for the keyboard. Apart from being able to type in any messages that you would like, you can also incorporate GIFs into your conversations.
In case you have been living under a rock for the last few years, let us explain what GIFs are and when to use them: A GIF (pronounced either with a soft or a hard “g”, we would leave this to you because, believe it or not, it is quite a controversial point) is basically a moving image. GIF is an acronym that stands for graphics interchange format. Believe it or not, this kinds of images are hardly new. One way or another they have been around for about 30 years now. It has only been in the last few years, in great part thanks to the advent and popularization of social media that most people have now encountered them.
Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. are to a great extent responsible for the fact that most people now have seen and or share themselves GIFs. There are some people out there who created them themselves just by taking a very short clip from the movie, TV show, etc. sometimes, people also include subtitles to enhance the effects. And talking about effects, more often than not, GIFs are used for comic purposes. But this is not the only thing they can do, they can also be romantic or sweet, for example.
You may be asking yourself at this point “So, what does this have to do with the Kik keyboard?”. Well, one of the great things that you can do with the relatively new keyboard is incorporating GIFs into your Kik messages.
Of course you can also browse the Internet for GiFs and even create your own. But this takes time and effort and in less you have already a suitable one ready to be shared when the occasion comes up in your Kik chat, you will never get the chance to use them. What is so great about the keyboard is that you have hundreds of great and highly usable GIFs available to you whenever you need them.
If you look closely you will notice a GIF icon if you tap on the plus sign located right next to the message field (i.e., where you type in your text messages) (see the picture above). So if you tap on the plus sign and then tap on the GIF icon, you will be able to then type in that kind of emotion or affect you want to convey or have. You will then be presented with different GIF that you can use. Finally, once you have found the right GIF that you would like to share with the person you are chatting to (or the group of e people you are chatting to because you can also use this as part of a group chat or a Kik party) all you will need to do is tap on it and send it in the same way that you would a text message.
Apart from GIFs, the keyboard gives you access to lots of different emojis available to you by, once again, tapping on the plus sign on your keyboard. So there is really no excuse for making your text messages boring. So, if you think that not been able to use video chat or use your voice will make your messages less appealing or any less fun, then think again!
Do you have any experience using the Kik keyboard? What do you like about it? If you would like to share your experience with other readers or if you have any feedback about this article, why don’t you leave us a message in the comment section below!