Kik is a popular messaging app or texting app that allows users to connect with both their friends and random people across the globe. With millions of users worldwide.
One of the most clear-cut benefits of the Kik Messenger app is how fluently it allows you to read and send messages to your contacts. Each chat message you send comes with automatic read notifications, allowing you to ensure not only that your messages are reaching the intended recipients, but also being read. You can easily eliminate the frustrating, nagging question that might otherwise exist in the back of your mind: “Did they get what I sent?”
This reassurance is clearly worth a lot to modern device users, indicated by Kik’s millions of current users. However, as with any chat system, the interface requires a slim helping of trial and error before every nuance of it is understood.
The Kik SDR indicators that accompany every message are more than just visual flair to accompany an otherwise pretty interface. They’re actually the means by which you can measure and watch the flow of your conversations with other people. Rather than being left to wonder if your message was lost in empty digital space, the three stages of your message’s delivery will tell you exactly where it’s at. The three you’ll see most commonly are:
- “S,” which means “sent”
- “D,” which means “delivered” (see left)
- “R,” which means “read”
It’s the same function that comes with most major email applications but is thankfully much more streamlined in Kik Messenger. The breakdown of message settings into these categories provides a level of transparency that remains lackluster in other chat programs. As one of the leading chat platforms that third-parties use to connect with their various audiences, this level of transparency and accessibility is immeasurably useful.
On top of that, it’s an automatic feature that users cannot opt out of. While this may seem like an odd thing to be glad for, I’ll elaborate on how this is beneficial after explaining how the system works. Kik Messenger is a diverse platform that offers immense levels of flexibility, especially when embraced by third-party developers, advertisers, and interest groups.
Typing and read receipts make a lot of sense for messaging. You write a letter, you put it in an envelope, you send it to a friend, and you want to know when they get it. It’s like FedEx – they let you know when the package gets dropped off.- Evan Spiegel
S for Sent!
The meanings of these single-letter indicators are actually remarkably simple. The “S” simply means that your message was sent! If you see an “S” letter symbol your message has been moved from your device to the Kik Messenger servers. It’s the first part of a message’s journey and allows you to know that both your internet connection and the app itself are working properly.
The “S” does not, however, mean that your message has made it to its recipient yet. If the receiving person’s device is turned off or is not connected to the internet, the message will remain with the Kik Messenger server until it can be sent along to its destination. Rest assured, as long as your message has that “S” next to it, it hasn’t been lost. Failed messages and errors have their own set of symbols, which will be detailed further below.
D for Delivered!
The “delivered” symbol can show up in two ways–as either a light gray or solid “D” letter symbol. This has to do with the recipient’s push notification setup on their mobile device. In the Kik Messenger app, this push notification feature is limited to Windows and iOS devices. If you see a light gray “D” next to your message, it means that your message has been delivered and a push notification has been sent to whomever you’re contacting.
A solid “D” means that the Kik Messenger app has been opened and the recipient has access to your message. It’s a slight distinction that adds more nuance to an already informative chat system. Either way, if you see a “D” next to your message, the message has found its way to your recipient and is merely waiting to be opened and read.
R for Read!
When an “R” shows up, it means that your message has been viewed in the Kik Messenger application. As when working with an email platform, however, the fact that a message has been read doesn’t mean that you should immediately expect an incoming response. Below, I’ll detail some of the benefits and drawbacks of the “always on” read notification system that Kik Messenger uses.
Along with any text that you might have sent in your message, the “R” also indicates that the recipient has seen any attached media or links. Part of what makes Kik Messenger a versatile application is its ability to network myriad types of media through a simple interface. This media is embedded within the message itself, so you can be sure that your chat partner has seen everything that you’ve linked.
Other Symbols
The three primary indicators for message status are also accompanied by a few, less common notifications. In addition to seeing your message’s status in relation to your recipient, these mark symbols will allow you to troubleshoot some of the simple difficulties that might crop up in the Kik Messenger app.
- If you see an ellipsis (…), this indicates that the application is having difficulty connecting to the Kik Messenger servers.
This could occur for a multitude of reasons: unreliable internet access, a problem in the Kik Messenger application, or an error in the mobile device itself. The most common culprit is the former, and this can usually be discerned by first trying to resend the message, and then checking the status of your device cellular data connection, be it Wi-Fi or otherwise.
- A red exclamation mark (!) indicates that an error has occurred while attempting to send the message.
This type of error is rare thanks to the stability of Kik Messenger’s servers, but you can usually troubleshoot it very easily when it occurs.
If the red exclamation shows up after a prolonged ellipsis next to your message, your mobile device is most likely having difficulty maintaining an online connection. Check your device’s wireless data status, and ensure that you’re connected to the internet. Once you’ve established that your connection is solid, try sending the message again. Nine times out of ten, an unsent message is due to a simple error like this.
If messages continue to receive that red exclamation mark, I advise closing out the application entirely and letting it reboot. All software applications encounter the occasional hiccup in their operation and most of the time, a simple hard rest allows them to continue functioning again, glitch-free.
Read Notifications in Chat Groups
The S, D, R read notification system in the Kik Messenger app is extremely beneficial for reassuring users that their messages are being sent properly. It’s concise, simple, and easy to intuit once you know what each of the symbols means.
There are a few finer points to understand with how the read notification system works, however. Chat groups are a popular function on the Kik Messenger platform, and the simple symbols that confirm message status only make Kik a more appealing place to host communications between multiple people.
However, when sending a message to more than one person within a group, it’s important to realize than an “R” only indicates that a message has been read; it doesn’t necessarily mean that a message has been read by everyone in the group. This isn’t a drawback for Kik’s messaging system, so much as it’s a frequent, minor obstacle that occurs in mobile messaging systems that are able to host groups for multiple chat participants.
Avoiding Read Notification Settings
As a chat platform that prizes its flexibility both for individual users as well as third-party developers, Kik Messenger relies heavily upon its simple set of read notification symbols. Artists, developers, and other such interest groups place a high level of value in ensuring that their messages are reaching an audience; in fact, their business, livelihood, and popularity can often depend upon it!
For this reason, there’s no existing feature that allows users to disable the S, D, R notification system. However, those users on iOS and Windows phones can take advantage of the operating systems’ push notification system to preview messages without opening the Kik Messenger application. It’s a roundabout fix to a feature that isn’t necessarily problematic, but handy just the same.
Far more valuable is the assurance that messages are getting where they need to go. More so, the three-stage notification system is high-visibility and gives you a transparent chat experience. As long as you can shrug off the anticipation of an incoming message when that “R” appears, Kik Messenger’s notifications are several steps above the feature set of many of its competitors.
To recap, the common message symbols you’ll encounter in Kik Messenger are:
- “S” for sent
- “D” for delivered
- “R” for read
- Ellipsis (…) for sending
- Exclamation point (!) indicating an error
Overall, the greater transparency we can be given in our digital communication, the more effective that communication will be. Kik Messenger offers a clear-cut, wide-open chat experience that encourages users to pay attention to where their messages are going and how they’re getting there. Whether you’re an individual trying to keep in touch with friends and acquaintances, or someone in need of a reliable, easily-reached audience, the Kik SDR notification system built into Kik is exceptionally flexible, accessible, and reliable.