BSB has made up its mind to invest $7 million in hike, a free messaging app. For those who haven’t come across this company’s title earlier, let us clarify that it is a result of Bharti Enterprise’s partnership with SoftBank and this joint venture mainly concentrates on the mobile internet space.
Even though the messaging utility had been announced only last year in the month of December, it has already succeeded in drawing the attention of over 5 million users. This is probably the reason why it is being counted amongst one of the fastest growing free apps in the world.
Knowing that it is still a novice, we believe it has to go a long way before it can surpass other dominant texting services like WhatsApp, BBM or even Facebook Messenger for that matter. The odd thing is that the app’s layout looks a lot like the aforesaid SNS’ standalone utility, especially the upper half which holds a similar bar drenched in a hue of blue.
On April 26, the company updated the service to version 2.0 for Android and iOS as well, announcing a flurry of fresh introductions. To begin with, the overhauled edition permits users to update their statuses and at the same time, proffers more than 20 smileys or as per the company’s terminology, Moods.
Any status put up by users can be viewed only by members of their ‘Circle of Friends’. The app also touts a central timeline so as to keep people updated about their friends’ activities. Along with these new introductions, the revamped software has made certain improvements as well.
The company claims to have made the process of striking up a group or personal conversation, easier and it has also brought about some performance enhancements. The update has addressed and fixed the issue with bugs for the drawers.
Specifically for iOS owners, the upgraded service shows off additions to the ‘Auto Save photos’ options. As for improvements, there will now be signup instructions for iPod touch and the Wi-Fi only iPad variants. It has also included a block list, in the event users wish to avoid some pestering acquaintance.
Kavin Bharti Mittal who happens to be the Head of Product and Strategy in BSB, remarks that 60% of the entire user base employing hike are Indians, whereas the rest belong to Middle East and Europe. Those who wish to take a break from the usual WhatsApp and BBM messengers with a view to try something new, will find the utility available for download through the Google Play store for free.