Sometimes Snapchats disappear far too fast. And sometimes, video chats go on for far too long. So the folks over at Skype decided to come out with a happy medium. Welcome 'Skype Qik,' a new video-messaging app that allows you to get your message across without complicating the process.
The app, which is available for Android, iOS and Windows Phone, allows users to record up to a 42 second video that will self-destruct in two weeks time. Users can send their videos to one person, or a whole group, with each different conversation kept in different streams.
Skype describes the app as "a totally effortless way to capture the moment, share laughs, and chat with groups of friends" by turning short videos into conversations. Their goal is to make video chats "as spontaneous as messaging but as intimate as calling."
Users can access all of the videos from their "conversations" and replay them as many times as they want. Similarly, users have the option of deleting any videos they don't want in the stream, even if they haven't been opened yet.
Qik only alerts the receiver after the video has downloaded completely, this means all videos can play immediately. It also means that Qik does not run in the background, so it wont drain your phone's battery when not using the app.
The app doesn't ask for a Microsoft account or Skype username, rather, it uses your mobile phone number and pulls your contacts from your phone's address book.
A maximum of eight videos are visible at the top of the app menu. If there are more, users can swipe and "pull" additional videos into view. Users can store a maximum of 12 prerecorded videos for reactions.
It may not be perfect, but it is an exciting new way the company can maintain its relevance among users.As is noted in a post by Venture Beat, "From what we've see, Qik is unique from other messaging tools that it can find a place in the ridiculously saturated market, but that doesn't mean it will necessarily catch on quickly In fact, Qik will have all the usual adoption problems that new chat apps face, plus bandwidth limitations.... In the end, this is just the initial release of Qik. Skype already has new features it plans to add, but it will be taking feedback on what else it can implement to make mobile video messaging mainstream."
