Kik Messenger is a versatile social chat app designed for mobile devices using Android, Apple, Windows, Blackberry, and other mobile platforms. As the app continues to rise in popularity with more than 200,000 downloads on an average day, new people come to Kik Messenger wanting to use their laptops and desktops to get to the Kik Messenger Login.
Kik Messenger Mobile
When you’re ready to login to Kik Messenger on-the-go, open the app on your smartphone. If you don’t have it on your device yet, you can go to the app store, search for Kik Messenger, and install it on your Android, Apple, Blackberry, or Windows smartphone or tablet. The download and install is quick and easy. There are lots of sites out there offering various versions of Kik Messenger, but always remember that the authorized app is only available on Google Play, The Apple App Store, the Amazon App Store, and the Windows Phone Store.
On Your Home Computer
“One of the most feared expressions in modern times is ‘The computer is down.'”- Norman Ralph Augustine
When you want to use Kik Messenger from your home computer, there are two ways to go: download or online. Both use the authorized version of the Kik Messenger app, and both use the app in a way its developers do not intend for it to be used. That means that all features of the app may not be available to you, and there will be no support from Kik Messenger if you have a problem while using the app.
The really good thing about that is, there are almost never any problems with the app. It runs extremely well and fast. Still, it is important to note that using Kik Messenger with an Android emulator (which is the only way to use the app on a PC, Mac, or online) is an unauthorized means of using it. If the developers wanted it to be used on these platforms, they would make versions of the app available for PC and Mac computers, and offer their own online portal.
The reason the team at Kik Interactive, the makers of Kik Messenger, do not make the app in versions compatible with PC or Mac, or online, is that they are designing for mobile devices, particularly the smartphone, which they believe to be the future of computing. A quick look at people who download and use Kik Messenger seems to prove them right, for the demographics are young. The people who will be building the future are embracing Kik Messenger as the developers knew they would – on their smartphones. Just look at these brief stats on the average Kik Messenger user:
- 275 million users have downloaded Kik Messenger.
- 200,000 new users install Kik Messenger every day.
- 70% are between 13 and 24 years old.
- 40% of American youth are part of the Kik Messenger network.
That’s not to say that young Americans have abandoned the laptop or desk top. They haven’t. It’s just that their smartphones are with them everywhere and all the time, so that’s where they download their favorite apps and send the bulk of their messages each day. Many young Kik Messenger users also use the app on their home computers but almost all of them use it on the go.
Kik Messenger is not alone in designing exclusively for mobile devices. A lot of other apps we enjoy on our smartphones are not available for home computers. Clash of Clans is one popular example. Clan members wanting to play on their desktop or laptop have to use an emulator for that, too.
Android Emulator
As said, when we want to use our computers at home to run an app that only has versions available for our smartphones, and one of those versions is for the Android OS (as most are), we go to an Android emulator. You can do this on a Windows PC, Apple Mac, or online.
An Android Emulator is a software program or app that downloads and installs to your computer. When open, it is a virtual machine of sorts that creates an Android environment on your PC, Mac, or browser. When you open an app designed for the Android OS within an emulated Android environment, it behaves exactly like it does on your smartphone.
There are many emulators available. We will look at two of them. Andyroid has better graphics and more options, but requires resources not available on some home computers (< 3.0 GB RAM, 10 GB free disk space, and Windows 7SP1+/OSX 10.8+). If you are still in love with your Windows XP or Vista OS, or didn’t get the last Mac OS update, Manymo is the emulator that lets you get your kiks online without dedicating the resources needed to download Andy.
Kik Messenger on PC or Mac
You can get Kik Messenger on your PC or Mac absolutely free when you download and install Andy the Android Emulator (aka Andy or Andyroid) on your desktop or laptop. Yes, there are others available, and yes, more people have heard of and are using BlueStacks, but Andyroid has done extremely well in head-to-head comparisons with BlueStacks and others like it. Plus (did I mention?) Andy is free to download and to use. BlueStacks will eventually require you to download promoted apps you may not want or pay a $2.00 monthly subscription fee to continue using it.
Getting Andy is so easy; you almost don’t have to think about it. The first thing you do is go to the Web site: www.andyroid.net. Next, select “download” from the menu bar. Andy knows the version you need, so just click to let it proceed. Then, go to Google Play or Amazon to download the APK file for Kik Messenger. When you open Andy, it will find and load the .apk files for your app. Click on the Kik icon to open it.
On occasion, users have reported difficulty when trying to open Andy the first time. Andy OS has a support page on Facebook that is always monitored, providing fast feedback from its troubleshooting team. Be sure to take advantage of this resource if you run into a hiccup during installation.
Kik Messenger Online
Manymo is an Android emulator that works online. You still have to find and download the Kik Messenger .apk file (through an authorized app store) but you do not have to download and install an Android emulator. When you go to www.manymo.com the first time, you are required to set up a free account.
You can continue to use Manymo on a free account for up to ten launches each month. Thinking you will want to use Kik Messenger more often than that? Manymo offers a subscription that allows you 100 individual launches per month for $9.00.
An Individual Launch is opening a Manymo emulator one time in one browser only. You cannot have more than one emulator going in two or more browser windows at one time. If you forget and try to open it in a second browser tab, Manymo sends an error message and disallows the second launch. Just return to your first launch tab to do what you want to do.
Also, once you launch Manymo in a tab of your browser, as long as you keep that tab open with the emulator going you are using the just one launch from your monthly allotment. When you close that browser tab, you close Manymo. Opening the emulator again counts as an additional launch.
Other than learning how to manage your launch allowance, Manymo is an excellent solution for those of us lacking (or not wanting to attribute) the RAM and other resources it takes to run an onboard emulator.
Logging In to Kik Messenger
After your new Kik Messenger is installed, open it, and log into your account using your Kik username and password.
If you are new to Kik Messenger, it’s free and easy to register for an account. The app will ask for a First and Last Name, Kik Username, Email, Password and Birthday. Make sure your password is secure.
When it comes to choosing a username, pick something interesting, like you, because it is permanent. It is your unique identifier on the Kik Messenger network. You use your username to sign into Kik, and other people need your username to send you a kik. The only way to change your Kik Messenger username is to delete your account and open a new one. When you do that, you lose all past chat history and have to reload your contacts. So be sue to think a minute or two when choosing your Kik username.
The display name on your Kik Messenger account can be changed whenever you want to change it. This is what you enter at sign up when asked for a First and Last name. If you want people to see your real first and last name, leave that as your display name. However, if you expect to make new friends using Kik Messenger, you may want to change your display name.
Deciding whether or not to use your real name as your display name on Kik Messenger is as easy as answering a few questions:
- Are you going to join group chats you find online?
- Are you going to attend Kik parties with people you don’t know?
- Will you be posting a “kik me” invite on Facebook or Instagram, or making a profile on one of the many Kik Friend Finder sites?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might want to change your display name to something other than your real first and last name. Fortunately, it is easy to change your display name in Kik Messenger. Click here for a detailed tutorial on how to do it.
Once you have your username and display name set up, you will want to add a profile picture. Once your account and profile are set up, you are ready to add friends you know using Kik or to go out and join a Kik Party online. Soon, you will discover all sorts of ways to spend hours with friends with your Kik Messenger Login online, on your PC or Mac, and you smartphone or tablet as well.