Kik Messenger‘s millions of users will quickly testify as to the app’s accessibility and unique chat features. Among these many features of Kik is the presence of “bots” on their platform. Bots are automated messenger identities that you can search and chat with at any time. How they work, why they exist, and how to actually find and contact one are all things that many Kik users don’t even consider in their day-to-day use of the app.
Bots can be a fairly fun, and sometimes informative, use of one’s time on Kik. Even better than that, there are more available to chat with than most users realize, and they can be accessed as simply as typing their name into the app’s search function. Have a favorite brand, music label, news site, or media interest? Check to see if they have a bot!
However, there are also numerous bots floating around digital space that exist for no other reason than to generate and deliver spam to random users. For this reason, we’ve assembled a diverse list of bots that are safe for you to engage with and are quite popular among Kik’s millions of daily users. Just like your messages to regular users, the chats you have with bots will all be accompanied by Kik’s lightning-quick read notification system, which helps you to know if a particular bot is working and responsive.
After detailing a few of these more popular bots, we’ll go through a few cautions that you should always exercise when interacting with anyone–bots especially included–on Kik. Personal contact information such as your phone number or home address should never be divulged on messaging services. Financial information, such as credit or debit card numbers, should be kept safely distant as well. It’s practically universal advice for exploring the web, but details such as these should only be given to accredited, verified places. A wide-open chat platform is neither!
Those warnings in place, Kik bots can be a fun way to engage with certain brands and third-party interests. Keep in mind that a real person is never behind these names; they’re called “bots” for a reason. They’re entirely automated programs that, while exceptionally well-designed, cannot answer complex questions or respond accurately to more intricate messages. Most of the good ones will provide you with pre-generated responses to aid in the messaging process, but even if they don’t, stick to simple words and phrases.
Without further ado, here are some of the best Kik Messenger bots to pick a conversation with!
Mobile Messaging is rapidly becoming the primary way users engage socially on mobile.- Keith Teare
ClipDisBot
Meme culture has all but taken over the internet. It condenses complex thoughts, arguments, jokes, and ironies into tangible and recognizable images and messages. It doesn’t stop or slow at those static messages with their bold fonts, either, as you’ll find if you start a conversation with ClipDisBot. If you’re a fan of funny videos, just send a message to the bot’s username (or follow the provided link) and you’ll be well-arranged to start receiving the hilarity. Send it messages, emojis, or slash tags to prompt the bot into sending you fresh videos, each of which you can subsequently share with your friends.
Many media-oriented bots that send images and videos are full of NSFW (not-safe-for-work) content that you don’t necessarily want to show up on your phone at particular hours of the day. ClipdisBot doesn’t have a history of providing such content and is fairly safe to use while out and about.
MakeoverBot
Maybe you’re a fashionista that likes to fill the hours with makeover tips, fashion trends, and style options. If so, this is one bot that you’ll definitely want to prod with a message. Send MakeoverBot a brand, spanking new selfie and receive tips to improve and personalize your own image in fresh and interesting ways. The team of Los Angeles-based designers that are responsible for this bot have professional advice to give, and given the free price of admission to this advice, why not take advantage of it?
Though you should always be mindful of who you’re willing to share images of yourself with online, this bot is a safe avenue to receive cosmetic and style feedback. Think you’ve got the chops and eye for style needed to be on the giving end of advice? This bot gives you that option, too!
Zurvival
Fancy yourself an ideal survivor in a zombie apocalypse? Those who enjoy gamification in their chat experience will find a lot to enjoy in the Zurvival chat bot. You’ll use popular messaging formats, emoji, and chat responses in order to survive zombie attacks and stay alive!
In tandem with Kik’s integrated browser, bots like this are expanding the idea of what it means to be a gamer, especially on smartphones and other portable devices. Unlike many interactive, gamified experiences that constantly demand your attention, this one is easy to pick up and put down at your leisure. It’s a fun way to pass a few minutes, and easy enough to let fall by the wayside when other things grab your attention.
Moviefone
Popular media makes for popular messaging topics, and staying up to date on what’s new in the theaters is an accessible task made even easier by the Moviefone bot. Strike up a conversation with this automated service to gain access to personalized messages based on the information that you provide. What’s your favorite movie genre? Tell Moviefone, and you’ll be given guided links back to the popular websites available resources (along with the occasional handy meme that you can send along to your friends.)
Blynkstyle
For Kik Messenger’s immense crowd of young users, style matters. Though numerous brand-oriented bots exist on the chat servers for users to communicate with, Blynkstyle stands apart in the myriad ways that the bot interacts with people who message it. Receive and give style and fashion tips, and participate in chat-hosted quizzes about various fashion topics.
Furthermore, you can use Blynkstyle’s links to find places to shop for many of the fashion trends and items featured in the bot’s messages. Consider it a refreshing way to “window shop” from within Kik Messenger.
Massively
I’ve saved my favorite of the bunch for last. The Massively bot hosts a wide selection of activities for you to engage with and frequently runs dynamic, limited time campaigns to support other popular media from the film and music genres. It’s well-designed, straightforward bot that leaves guesswork out of your communication. Not sure how to respond to one of the bot’s messages? A host of possible pre-generated responses (a feature of many Kik bots) always accompanies the Massively bot’s requests, guiding you through its chat topics, quizzes, and chat adventures.
Much like Blynkstyle, there’s always something new and fun going on with the Massively bot that makes it worth your time. Ping it for a chat, and see what’s new and exciting in the entertainment media world.
Things to Know About Bots
Though chat bots aren’t necessarily a new innovation in our digital communication space, they’re only becoming more frequent as brands and other parties embrace their use. Since they’re automated, they make for a remarkably simple way to keep in touch with various audiences and fanbases, and easily recruit unfamiliar users to topics that they may be interested in.
Also due to their automation, many less innocent entities have begun using them to prey upon unsuspecting users. While all of the above bots are certainly safe to use and absolutely worth your time (otherwise, they’d never have made it onto this list!), there are many that seek only to guide you to malware infected websites, or worse, to convince you to part with personal information. No user that you’re chatting with, and especially not a bot, should ever be privy to these types of personal details, so refrain from allowing them anywhere near your Kik conversations!
Another concern that users should be aware of is the amount of mature content that’s distributed by unaffiliated bots on Kik messenger. Though it’s certainly not a problem that’s isolated to this chat platform, any bot that solicits you (rather than the other way around) should be treated with a large amount of caution. It’s not always possible to trace how these bots get ahold of our unique usernames, but if they ever do, the block feature works just as well against unwanted bot messages as it does with unwanted messages from people! Should anything suspicious ever show up from someone that you absolutely don’t know, it’s oftentimes better to block than risk a barrage of spam.
Here are some of the many categories you can find bots from:
- Entertainment
- Games
- Fashion
- Lifestyle
- Games
- Shopping
Though the above bots are some of the most interesting to interact with, Kik Messenger is now host to hundreds of different automated entities for you to interact with. No matter where your interests happen to fall, you’d be surprised by how much fun can be had by engaging with the various brands and web presences that have taken the time to code and prepare a bot to promote themselves.
We’d be interested in knowing what types of experiences you’ve had with Kik Messenger’s chat bots since they first started appearing on this messaging platform. If you have recommendations that escape our above list, or stories to share from your own chats, chime in by commenting below!