By Terry PenderRecord Reporter
Mon., Dec. 19, 2016timer2 min. read
updateArticle was updated Apr. 11, 2020
WATERLOO - Kik Interactive Inc., the chat platform used by 300 million American teenagers every month, today introduced its latest addition - a live group video chat feature.
"It is something we have been hearing about from our users for quite some time," said Chris Best, co-founder and chief technology officer of Waterloo-based Kik.
A live, video chat feature was the number-one request by Kik users. So beginning Dec. 19, Kik users simply tap the video chat toggle in the upper right corner to turn on the video. Kik users can use video chat one-on-one or in a group of up to six.
"It is going to be a seamless upgrade," Best said. "It is right there in the chat, you are talking back and forth already. You can just turn it on and bang, you are right there."
The group video feature can be used at the same time as messages, gifts, emojis and smileys are being sent back and forth.
"It is going to support group chats right off the bat," Best said.
Getting the new feature right from a technical standpoint was not easy. The image and audio quality must be good at all times. Some social media channels and smartphones added live video a while back. Think FaceTime for Apple and Facebook Live.
Kik users kept asking for it, and the Waterloo company saw research about friendships among American teenagers that urged them in this direction. Outside of school, only about one-third of American teens hang out in person, says the study. So for two thirds, smartphones are key to the care and maintenance of relationships.
"That is sort of shocking to me, too," said Best. "But what that means is that normal socializing - human connections, friends, peer support and stuff - is happening on your phone.
"You are sort of hanging out with people, not in person, not necessarily going to the mall anymore, but you are really spending time together on the phone."
Kik users can find the new feature in the App Store beginning today.
The live, group video feature is another way for Kik to keep users engaged on the platform.
"Kik users already spend just an incredible amount of time per day on the app," Best said. "The more invested they are, obviously the more opportunities there are for monetization in the long run."
Kik is among the most valuable of the country's fast-growing tech companies. Its value was estimated at $1 billion, following a $50 million investment by the Chinese Internet giant Tencent in 2015.
