Skype has introduced a new video messaging app known as Qik that aims to compete with popular sharing service Snapchat. The app lets users exchange short videos, as well as create and store five second GIFs for quick and easy responses.
The new app, which stands alongside the company’s established call and video chat service, is designed to give users a personal method of staying in touch between video calls.
Qik has a few significant advantages over Snapchat, with the ability to send much longer videos – up to 42 seconds. Qik clips are also not deleted as soon as the recipient has viewed them, but instead stick around for two weeks. The new app also has one other big advantage over its rival, in that users can delete a video from a conversation even after they’ve shared it with another user.
Qik keeps things simple, with a clean, uncluttered user interface. While the service doesn’t let users share traditional text messages, it does let them create and store short, five second GIFs known as Qik Fliks. The company says that Fliks are a great way to quickly and easily reply to messages when you don't have time time to record a full video response.
The free app is available now on Android, iOS and Windows Phone. The service offers the same set of features across the three platforms, with one exception – while Android and Windows Phone users are able to block contacts from the get-go, iOS users will have to wait for a future update to do the same.
You can check out the video below for more on Qik.
Source: Skype
