Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used in violation of your Kik Messenger terms of service. Please consult Kik Messenger’s terms of service for more information.
So, you’ve finally decided to join your friends (along with millions of other people) and download the Kik Messenger application. The first thing you’re going to have to navigate, no matter what platform you’re using to get Kik running online, is the login page. Especially with Kik, this is a fairly straightforward process, but there’s some divergence in the process that can occur depending on how you’re accessing Kik.
Kik only runs natively on mobile devices and their corresponding operating systems. However, there are a handful of other ways to get Kik running elsewhere. Laptop and desktop computers can get you connected to Kik with Android emulations software. Even if you only have access to a web browser, hosting software can get you connected to the Kik servers in a pinch! However, when you start throwing all of these different methods of access to the mix, that previously simple login procedure quickly becomes more complicated.
How do we simplify it? This guide will start from the top, examining the rather simple login steps that you’ll go through on the mobile Kik platforms. After, we’ll take a look at how emulations software adds a few extra steps to that process and determine whether or not emulated Kik is suitable for your needs.
First, however, we’ll lay out a few basics about the Kik login system. These features of the application remain the same no matter type of device you’re using to run Kik, and will apply to every method that we discuss.
Logging Into Kik Messenger
We’ll assume that you’ve already found your way to your respective operating system’s app store and downloaded Kik. The app is always free to download, no matter where you’re accessing it. Once you’ve successfully installed Kik on your mobile device, open the app and we’ll get started.
If you already have a Kik account set up, you can select “Log In” and input your unique username and password. However, if you’re a new user, you’ll need to register this information before you can proceed. When creating a new Kik account, you may be surprised by how little information is required for you to do so. All that you’ll need is an username, a password, an email address, a display name, and optionally, your phone number.
Rest assured that your phone number won’t factor into your Kik experience very much. New users will not be able to search for you by using your phone number, and the information won’t be accessible to others. Instead, the most important piece of information to your new Kik profile is your unique username. You’ll want to make it a good one–an username that you can memorize, but nobody else could possibly guess. Why is this secrecy necessary?
- Firstly, your display name can be changed to whatever you’d like. This is the name that other users will see while you’re sending messages.
- More importantly, all that others require in order to message you is your username. Because of this, you’ll only want to give your username to people that you trust.
Kik is quite a secure platform as far as security and privacy go, but much of that depends upon you making an username that isn’t easy to guess. Additionally, you’ll need to control its distribution. Can you imagine how much spam you might be bombarded with if your username was ever distributed in too public of a place? This is why you should select an username made of uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers.
Once you’ve created your Kik profile, you’re all set to get started! Make sure to keep that information handily tucked away in case you ever forget your username or password! Should you forget one or the other, the login screen features a “Forgot Password?” link that will take you to a website where you may recover your login information. For that, you’ll need your email address (which should also be kept in reference, somewhere.)
Thankfully, no matter which version of Kik you’re using, the above login process is largely the same. Because Kik only runs natively on mobile operating systems that have it available as an app store download, this familiar interface will be present no matter where you’re logging in from.
Logging into Kik from a Windows PC or Mac
A recent trend for those who spend a great deal of their time at a computer is to use an Android emulator to run Kik on their machine, no matter the operating system. Because the Kik developers haven’t created a version of their app for desktop and laptop users (and don’t currently seem to have one in the pipeline, though who knows!), emulation is the only way to get Kik in this way.
Though the login process will be exactly the same as described above, you’ll be required to jump through a few extra hoops in order to set up your Android emulator. Because this is an emulated version of Kik, you’ll need to create the proper environment for it to run on your computer. Apple’s iOS requires too much proprietary hoop-jumping and coding to be reliably emulated; meanwhile, Android is practically built for it. Google’s popular mobile operating system is already featured across a plethora of devices from different manufacturers and, therefore, emulates quite well.
We’ve written extensively about how to get an Android emulator on your computer, as well as several of the top emulators available for download. Getting your emulator set up is far easier than you might suspect. Once you’ve installed your emulator, getting access to Kik is remarkably similar to downloading it on a mobile device. Since you’re actually telling part of your computer’s memory to act like an actual Android operating system, you’ll be able to access the Google Play store and download Kik within the emulator. After this, setting up a new Kik profile is a simple process. Or, if you already have a profile, you can simply enter your usual login information and access Kik as normal.
Logging into Kik from Your Browser
This process is a fair bit trickier than using an emulator to access Kik, but it’s becoming more popular since it doesn’t involve installing additional software to your machine. However, it will still involve you doing a little bit of extra digging online, so be prepared!
For this method of logging into Kik, we’ll be using Manymo. Rather than an Android emulator that you install on your computer, this is an emulator that functions within your web browser itself. Because the Android OS doesn’t necessarily consume a great deal of memory (we call it “lightweight”), this is actually a perfectly viable way to emulate Android apps.
- From the Manymo website, you’ll immediately see a plethora of options. This may be a lightweight emulator, but it’s not lacking one bit in features. If you select “Launch Emulators,” you’ll notice that you can actually run an Android emulator at various resolutions, each correlating with a popular type of mobile device. However, before you can actually get started, you’ll notice that Manymo has a pricing structure.
- If you want to launch Kik within your browser using Manymo, it is not free. This might come as a surprise to users who are used to free Android emulation software, but you also must realize that the memory you’re usually utilizing on your computer in order to emulate is actually being carried by Manymo’s servers. Because of this, the browser-based application will likely always come with a fee.
However, some users require or prefer this particular type of accessibility, and so it will certainly remain an often-used resource. The only other thing you’ll require in order to emulate Kik through Manymo is a copy of the Kik .apk (this is the application file, itself.) You’ll be using your browser to locate this, and a simple search for “Kik .apk” should turn up the results that you need.
Eager for an extra trip? Carry a copy of the Kik .apk on a thumb drive. The whole point of Manymo is its accessibility, and you’ll be able to take advantage of it doubly fast if you have a copy of the Kik .apk with you.
Other Kik Login Tips
Android was intended to be very customizable. And we welcome innovations.- Sundar Pichai
There are a few other things you’ll want to keep in mind when you’re dealing with the Kik Messenger login process. If you’re a user that has multiple devices or methods of running Kik, then you’ll want to pay extra close attention!
The following facts remain true no matter what method you’re using to use Kik:
- You can only be logged into one version of Kik Messenger at a time
- When you “log out,” your chat and browsing history will be wiped clear
- The contacts attached to your profile will remain in place
Knowing these three things, you can surmise what some peoples’ worry might be. What happens when you’re swapping from one version of Kik to another? Is there any way to save my chat history? Will my contacts know that the message history was deleted?
Unfortunately, it’s very easy to construe this as a nuisance. In reality, it’s a fairly easy security precaution that makes it difficult for anyone to ever gain access to your messages. If you happen to lose a device or leave yourself logged in where you didn’t mean to, all that you’re required to do is log in elsewhere. Because your chat history is cleared each time that you’re logged out of Kik, it’s an effective way to keep your communication safe.
An effective way to circumvent this loss of data is to use a cloud-based storage system like Dropbox or Google Drive to store messages and media that you’d like to keep.
For an interface that only features a few entry fields and a few options to select, logging into Kik can occasionally feature some nuance depending on how you’re getting online to access it. Chime in with your own experiences, difficulties or otherwise, from navigating the Kik login experience!