Honk Is A New iPhone Messaging App That Sends Messages As You Type
Honk is a new smartphone messaging app that allows users to see what their friends are typing in real-time. While there is no shortage of messaging and communications apps like WhatsApp available to download, the real-time nature of Honk makes it a little different to the rest. This unique feature also means Honk is missing other common messaging app benefits.
Messaging apps allow users to chat with each other without having to rely on the cellular-based texting feature on their phones. Many messaging apps also feature group messaging -- for example, WhatsApp can host a group chat of up to 256 people -- along with the option to send pictures, videos, and audio messages. Other messaging apps include GroupMe and Facebook Messenger while Social media apps now often come with a direct messaging feature built in, such as Twitter and Instagram.
Honk wants to offer a new way for users to chat with their friends. With a focus on real-time messaging, Honk operates slightly differently to other messaging apps. For one thing, there is no send button. Instead, the message simply shows up in the chat window as it’s being written. This also means there isn’t a chat history, with all the conversations on Honk happening live. Likewise, there's little room for edits as others will see typos as they happen. Although Honk is now available to download, it is currently only available to those with an iPhone. However, the company does explain on an FAQ page that it is working on an Android version as well.
Besides the real-time messaging, Honk also comes with an ability to delete a message with just one tap. However, this is only for the most recently sent message as, due to the lack of chat history, only two live messages are ever visible at a time. Another unique feature is the Honk button which, once tapped, produces a honking sound and sends a push notification to get a friend’s attention. Users can also express themselves by tapping the Reaction button to send out an emoji.
Getting started is easy enough through the “Add Friends” button, but as this is a new app, users may find they need to send out an invite from within the app, while Honk builds out its user base. Invites can either be sent through the user's on-device contact list or by sharing a profile invite link. Another point to note is that as Honk is currently focused on one-on-one messaging, group chatting is currently unavailable. Of course, it is still early days for the Honk smartphone app, so it is possible a group chat feature will be added at some point in the future.
Source: Honk