Android smartphones have a wide range of messaging apps available, each designed to cater to the specific needs of different users. For some, privacy might be the concern, while for others, the need might be for a messaging app that also supports video calls and voice chatting. Whatever the reason for a new messaging app, it’s very likely that the perfect one for Android phones can be found in the Google Play Store.
Many social media apps, including Twitter and Instagram, have messaging features, also known as direct messaging. Similarly, Snapchat has a chat feature where messages disappear after both parties have opened and viewed them. Messaging apps, however, are geared specifically toward communication, rather than posting a photo or crafting a post. These apps also allow users to avoid international texting rates, making it easy for people to message friends and family in other countries. Messaging apps can also be beneficial to those working from home and, best of all, many of them are free to download and use.
There are several considerations to look at when choosing a messaging app. If integrating messaging and social media is important, then the Messenger app from Facebook is a great choice. From the single app, users can message Facebook friends, in addition to easily being able to find and message friends from Instagram. Users can also choose from various chat themes to personalize the experience, as well as customize reactions while also choosing from familiar emojis. For parents concerned about what the kids get up to online, there is also Messenger Kids, which provides parents with control over the contact list.
Other Great Android Messaging Apps
If privacy is a concern, the first app to consider is Signal. As this app is protected with end-to-end encryption only the sender and the recipient can see sent messages. Another great app for privacy is Line, which introduced end-to-end encryption in 2016. Line also offers a poll feature, making it super easy to ask a group a question and get an opinion from everyone.
For users looking to include as many people as possible in a group chat, WhatsApp certainly provides for that. WhatsApp allows for up to 256 participants in a group chat, so users won’t have to worry about leaving someone out. Furthermore, WhatsApp recently acquired new security features, including face identification and fingerprint authentication. However, if more than 200 people doesn’t quite fit the bill, there’s GroupMe. This messaging app caters to even larger groups, with a maximum of 500 people in one chat possible. GroupMe also lets users mute specific chats, or choose when to get a notification.
These are only a selection of the messaging apps that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. Therefore, if none of the ones mentioned are the right fit, there are still plenty more to choose from. Again, whether it is privacy, popularity, chat capacity, or any other reason, identifying what are the most important and needed features beforehand is a great way to figure out which is the right Android messaging app for a specific user.
Source: Google Play