Whether you’ve just downloaded and installed the Kik Messenger app or you’ve been a longtime user, your entire experience on the popular chat platform will be shaped by the people you talk to. When you’re still looking for people to chat with, you’ll likely wonder why there isn’t a searchable list that will tell you who is online on Kik right now.
There are reasons that Kik Messenger doesn’t feature such a thing, of course. The latest versions of the popular chat application have taken subtle steps to bolster users’ security and privacy, which is a tough thing to balance when setting up a new profile on Kik is so remarkably easy. Still, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t resources available to you; the only trick of the matter is that you won’t be able to do it through the Kik app itself. For some, the extra legwork can prove to be too much of a put-off. However, those committed to finding more people to chat with will find a wealth of possible options before them!
It’s worth the moment to mention that Kik users’ privacy and safety are issues of paramount importance. Since all that you need on Kik to send a message to another person is their unique username, that username should be treated as a secure piece of information, shared only in places that you trust, and only with people that you have some level of familiarity with. Though you can certainly use the block feature to put a stop to any unwanted message, a loose username can attract all manner of unwanted spam and chat invitations.
With that consideration on the table, it’s time to address what this guide will do for you. We’ll begin by examining several places where you can find contacts who are frequently online. After that, we’ll briefly examine how to engage with the Kik interface itself, to see who among your contacts is online.
Note: It’s also worth mention that, whenever you’re looking outside of Kik for users to chat with, there’s the possibility that you’ll run into content that’s typically labeled “NSFW” (not-safe-for-work.) As with many online messaging apps, many users are in the habit of sending offensive images that feature everything from offensive swearing to explicit nudity. Therefore, if you go perusing the web for new contacts, it’s best to do so when you’re not on a strictly-controlled Wi-Fi network, such as those belonging to businesses and schools.
Without further ado, let’s see where you can find some Kik users!
Getting New Kik Contacts
In all our contacts it is probably the sense of being really needed and wanted which gives us the greatest satisfaction and creates the most lasting bond.- Eleanor Roosevelt
Before we delve into the wild world of the wider internet, let’s make sure you’ve taken the necessary steps within Kik to see which of your friends are already online. Because Kik is a mobile app, it’s very likely that you’re running it on a mobile device that has an active contact list. If you already have a list full of friends and acquaintances on your mobile device, why not check to see which ones are already on Kik?
Finding New Contacts Online in Kik
“Address Matching” can be turned on from within the Kik settings menu, and will automatically cross-reference your users’ phone numbers and email addresses to see if they’ve registered on Kik. If you recall from setting up your original profile, you were required to use an email address and presented with the option of using a phone number. Kik doesn’t reveal or use your phone number for anything other than the address matching feature, but it can certainly be helpful for finding friends.
Additionally, if you haven’t tried it, you can also “Share Your Profile” through the Kik settings, allowing you to send your profile off to various social media apps (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) Those who you’re already in contact with (and who also have Kik Messenger) will have a chance to be swiftly added to your Kik chat list.
From within the Kik web browser, you can use several Kik-optimized matching websites in order to match yourself with other users. Browser applications such as “Match & Chat” are technically linked to databases and services outside of Kik, but they’re still accessible from within the app itself. If you’re willing to trust an automated service to connect you with other users, give it a shot!
Using the Web to Find Kik Users Online
While the above methods can certainly help to bolster your Kik contact list, most of the time they’ll only connect you with people you already know. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it isn’t ideal for those of you looking for someone new to chat with who’s reliably on Kik at the same times you are. For this, you’ll have to deepen your search.
We’ve made mention of Tumblr and Reddit before, as both of these places can give you access to a wealth of chat opportunities on Kik Messenger. Thousands of the app’s users have set up listings for their own Kik profiles, as well as advertised access to various chat groups. Whether you keep your search broad with queries like “Kik Chat,” or narrow the field of interest with phrases such as “Kik Singles,” you’re going to have quite a lot of luck in finding other users through these means.
In addition to popular places such as these, there are other places to go on the web that can connect you with other people on Kik. Though your results may certainly vary, popular websites such as OnlineUserNames.com and KikSnapMe.com also offer to connect you with other Kik users. It should be noted, however, that none of these corners of the web are affiliated with Kik in any way. Therefore, the activity that you see on them is not guaranteed to be moderated, and it’s certainly not guaranteed to follow the guidelines established by the Kik developers. You’ll run the risk of running into inappropriate behavior and messaging at sites like this, but it’s also not a problem that’s isolated to Kik–this type of behavior exists across all mobile chat applications.
These sites aren’t alone in the mix, either. KikUserNames.com offers much of the same service, with thousands of registered profiles for you to browse. A cursory search on any popular search engine will yield even more results. As noted before, if ever you decide to share your unique username with anyone on these sites, be sure that you’ve established some level of trust with said person first. Outside of having your entire account compromised, having your username shared in a public place is one of the worst things that can befall you as a Kik user.
How Can I Tell Who is Online?
Since Kik isn’t a real-time chat service, there’s no immediate, surefire way to know if people on your contacts list are online, or not. However, that doesn’t mean you’re without options! While there isn’t an indicator that will tell you an individual’s current online status, the read-notification system that’s a feature of all Kik messages will certainly help with this.
The little S, D, and R symbol that accompany each message are intended to notify you of where your message is after you’ve sent it, but it will also let you know if the recipient was online to get it in the first place. If your message status has a little, bold D next to it, then you can rest assured that the message was received, and the person you sent it to is online to get it. An S, on the other hand, means that the recipient is not yet online to receive the message. As usual, an R means that they’ve not only received your message, but they have also read it.
It’s not as reliable of a method as might be featured in a real-time chat service, but it gets the job done in a pinch. Just be sure not to bombard those on your contacts list with messages just to determine whether they’re online, or not!
Though there’s no guaranteed or easy way to see who’s online with Kik, even amongst your contacts, it doesn’t mean there aren’t steps you can take to determine this information. More important, however, is ensuring that you have plentiful contacts who are active and available to chat with you. As you can see from the above steps, there are ways to do both as long as you’re willing to step outside of Kik itself in order to find people to chat with.
The privacy of individual Kik users is easily violated when a person’s unique username gets flushed out into the public, where anyone can get ahold of it. For this reason, the app’s developers have chosen to encourage some level of acquaintance or friendship before becoming Kik contacts. In truth, the benefits of this decision outweigh the drawbacks; as we can see from the online Kik community, users have taken it upon themselves quite willingly to organize places where people can find each other to set up chats. If you have any other methods that you use to determine who is now online on Kik, chime in by posting in the comments below!