There are so many different ways to make the most out of the Kik Messenger app that it can sometimes be hard to know what to begin. Something that you might read about but that some people do not know how to make the most of are Kik codes. So, what are Kik codes and what are they for?
Although you might have heard of Kik codes, I would not blame you if you were not too sure what they actually are. But, don’t worry explaining what they are and helping you make the most of them is the whole point of this article.
A Kik code is the Kik version of a QR code. QR stands for quick response. A helpful way of thinking of QR codes is as Internet barcodes. Like barcodes, QR codes contain a lot of information in them.
QR codes are not really new. In fact, they are over 20 years old. It was the Japanese who came up with them but first they used them in the car manufacturing industry.
But QR codes as we now know them became popular with the advent of smart phones and other smart handheld devices. Why? Because smart phones and tablets can scan QR codes and obtain information or services from them.
In fact, QR codes have become so popular in recent years that a large number of public and private companies now use them as they both enhance user experience greatly and give a lot of useful information and provide services to clients in a very simple way. And Kik Messenger is no exception to this.
If you pay attention, I am sure you will find many QR codes around, no matter where you go: in offices, malls, public transportation, airports, and, of course, all over the Internet and in apps like Kik Messenger and others.
In fact, once you start noticing QR codes, you will probably find them anything.
What Are Kik Codes For?
So, now that you know what QR codes are, you are probably wondering how you can use them with the Kik Messenger app.
The first thing to know is that it is entirely your choice whether you want to use Kik codes or not. They can make things better for you. But it is also perfectly possible to use the Kik Messenger app without ever using Kik codes.
Many people who use Kik Messenger never see the need to use Kik codes and they have a great time. It is quite possible to use Kik to the fullest without using QR codes. In fact, that was me for the longest time.
But, having said all that, I think it is only fair to know what you can do with them before you decide whether they are for you or not. In fact, you can decide when to use them and when not to do so.
One of the best things about Kik Messenger is how the application protects its users’ privacy. If you compare it with many of its competitors, Kik Messenger comes out stronger.
For instance, the also popular WhatsApp messenger app not only requires users to provide their telephone numbers but also, if users want to connect to each other on WhatsApp, they need to share their telephone numbers.
Or take the growing Facebook Messenger. In order to use their instant messaging app, Facebook requires users to create a Facebook profile for which it is necessary to provide all kinds of personal information including users’ full names.
In contrast to that, Kik Messenger does not share any personal information among its users. When you sign up to Kik, you will be asked to create your very own unique user name. Sure, you will have to provide your email address but you can decide whether to become searchable by email address using the Address Book match function or not. It is entirely up to you and it is completely optional.
So, how do users who do not use the Address book match function connect to one another? Simply by sharing their user names, mostly through Kik groups but not only. If, for example, you met someone on a social media site (or app) such as Twitter, and you would like to chat to that person using the Kik Messenger, all you’ll have to do is give them your Kik user name. But there is also a quicker and safer way to do this.
Yes, you have probably guessed it. That is where Kik codes come in. A problem with sharing user names is that some of them are quite complicated while many are so similar that is extremely easy to end up talking to the wrong person simply by messing up their user name. Trust me, I’ve been there! (And more than once too!).
Because the Kik Messenger is so popular and has millions of different users in the United States and around the world and every single of them has a unique user name, it is quite common for some user names to be similar. This can make it hard to find the person you are looking for.
But not only that, even when someone decides to leave the app and delete their profile, their unique user name gets locked so nobody else can pick it up. This is done for two main reasons: one, this avoids confusion (image that you have a friend with a user name who deletes their profile just to have someone else pick it up. You could be end up chatting to the wrong person inadvertently); and two, the user name is reserved just in case the user in question changes his or her mind and decides to come back so they can continue using the same user name).
So, instead of giving someone your user name, you could just give them your Kik code so that they can find you instantly and without any potential for confusion.