Touch

Summary

Text messages seem to be dying out as a form of communication. At least that’s the impression you get from the number of text messaging replacement apps on the market. Despite a number of well-known apps making their presence known, it’s important not to forget the newcomers. More functions and better usability are just some of the reasons for switching to a new messanging app.

PingChat! doesn’t have it easy. Competitors such as WhatsApp have been out on the market for longer and have gained a loyal fan base. Can PingChat! make a difference? Find out in today’s test.

Registration: Phone Number or ID
The registration procedure is similar to that of most messaging apps except for one thing: PingChat! allows you to register without your phone number by creating an individual PingChat! ID. The big disadvantage here is that friends and family will have a very difficult time finding you. I mean, who in the world would know some random ID number? Using your phone number, on the other hand, makes things much easier since most of your contacts are saved in your phone book. PingChat! can quickly browse through your contacts and tell you which ones are using PingChat!

Cross-Platform
It goes without saying that that user fan base is central to the success of a messenger. Even the best app idea won’t be of much use if the messaging app does not manage to gain acceptance and popularity. That’s why PingChat! is available not only for Android users, but also for Apple hipsters and Blackberry professionals. As a result, PingChat! reaches across several different platforms to reach a maximum audience.

Chatting and Multimedia for Free
Picture messaging can be a costly endeavor (although, seriously, who still uses MMS in the age of smartphones?!), especially when the person you sent a message to fails to open it. As we all know, the major mobile service providers are skilled at ripping you off with hidden fees and bogus limits. With an unlimited data plan (often expensive, yet highly recommended) PingChat! will save you money spent on sending pictures, videos and texts.
With the PingChat! app installed you can send and receive an unlimited number of messages. You can send pictures, audio, contacts or your location to other people with little to zero effort. And if you think that isn’t enough, videos are also supported.

Organize Your Contacts
One of the most annoying things about WhatsApp is that it lists all my contacts, even ones that I never use in my phonebook. Although it’s possible to delete these contacts from the list, I would rather know in advance if a contact is going to be on my messaging lists.
PingChat! takes care of this problem beautifully. The app suggests people from your phone book and asks you whether you would like to add them as contacts in your app’s phone book. This works both ways and your friends will have to accept your request to add them as a contact.

Adding Contacts From Facebook, Twitter and Email
PingChat! can also search your Facebook and Twitter contacts to see who is using the same messaging app as you. The same goes for email if your chat partner lists their email address on their profile.

Bottom Line:
Overall, PingChat! is awesome! In more ways than one PingChat! does a significantly better job that its closest competitor WhatsApp. Adding contacts, for example, is much easier and more efficient. All that’s missing at the moment is popularity and a wide fan base. Hopefully, both things will come with time.
 

PingChat! deserves a top score with its clear design and easy control. All the main functions are easily explained with the help of intuitive icons. That’s the way it should be!

PingChat! runs smoothly and without fail.

PingChat! is available for free from the App Center.