Skype, the desktop and mobile voice and text communication service recently acquired by Microsoft, has apparently chosen the perfect moment to launch its own short video and photo messaging app Qik, similar in nature to services like Snapchat or WhatsApp. Qik is basically a lighter version of Skype, allowing its users to share short videos and pictures as part of a conversation. Qik was launched today on iOS, Android and – of course – Windows phone.
The goal of the Skype Qik is to keep people connected between calls, a blog post published on Skype’s blog writes. Qik reinvents the Skype experience, taking into account how online communication has changed in the years since its first launch. Now we use selfies, text, picture and video messages. For this a small team of designers and developers have decided to build something lightweight and mobile, a video messaging app offering a totally effortless way to “capture the moment, share laughs with family and friends” – Skype Qik.
Just like Snapchat, Qik messages are also temporary – the service’s servers store their users’ messages for two weeks only. Also, it makes it easy for Android and iPhone users to delete messages from chat, even if the message was already viewed. Contacts can be blocked on Android and Windows Phone. As you can see, not all features of the new app are available on all platforms just yet – they will surely be implemented real soon. Besides, Qik allows its users to quickly switch between the front camera and the back camera of their phones, to share the view or say hello, and even record five seconds animated GIFs that can be sent immediately or saved for later use (a feature currently only available for Android and iPhone users).
[ads2]