Saturday, June 27, 2015

One Chat App to Rule Them All

Facebook Messenger Icon
Are all of your family and friends on the same group chat application?

The answer is probably no.

Even before AOL's Instant Messenger service, chat applications have been fragmented with various services and device reluctant to communicate with one another gather a large enough userbase to be useful.

Perhaps today's worse offender is Apple's iOS iMessage app which works with other Apple devices and thus all other mobile devices only via cellular text messaging.  That leaves Android phones and tablets out of the conversation.

So what's the answer?

Facebook Messenger app screenshot
There are a number of apps trying to solve this problem.  Snapchat, WhatsApp, GroupMe, Skype, and Google Hangouts are just a few of the apps trying to be "the next big thing" in group chat.

But Facebook Messenger is the clear winner.  At least for now.

It has a large built-in user base, great features and can be accessed from multiple platforms:
Some of the key features include:
  • Make audio and video calls to other Messenger users
  • Know when people see your text
  • Make High Def phone calls to other users worldwide
  • Snap photos and shoot video
  • Record voice messages
  • Chat with your favorite groups of other users
Facebook announced this week that Messenger will no longer require a Facebook account to use.
That helps adoption by users who may not want to have a Facebook account.

Group chat is a rapidly growing market for the mobile world.  Facebook has with a winning chat strategy for both mobile and desktop users.

Enjoy!


#chat #facebook #messenger #Android #iPhone #Windowsphone

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