Skype is Dumping Qik App

On February 22, 2016, Microsoft declared their plans to retire the Skype Qik app on March 24^th, 2016 because of low usage. Skype Qik is a video messaging service initially launched by Silicon Valley in 2007 and later acquired by Skype in 2011. The service offered for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices, allows users to exchange video messages between individuals or within a group. The other factor which initiated the disclosure of this app was its ranking. Qik’s current ranking is #350 in the Social Networking category on the iOS App Store, and #239 in the Communications category on Google Play.

Formerly, the Qik service offered only mobile-based live video-sharing website and two-way video conferencing application that allowed users to stream live video from their cell phones to the internet. This software also enabled users to record and upload video directly from supported cell phones. Instead of offering real-time chat, screen sharing and audio and video calling, Qik was designed only for allochronic video messaging.

In 2014, the Qik app was refined by the team, to provide its users with Skype experience, but only in mobile. The back and forth communication or the history of responses were saved at the bottom of the screen as rounded profile icons in a sequential bid. This feature allowed the users to re-play past videos, but only up to an extent. Once the screen has been filled with 8 video messages sent and received, the older ones would vanish.

Though Qik app will be shut down on March 24^th, it is not a bad news for its users as many of the ideas from Qik has been upgraded to Skype’s main application which also includes video messaging. Skype has also introduced other interesting features, like filters, to make messaging more private, as well as other tools for communicating with groups.

“We have learned that many of you are already enjoying Qik apps feature in Skype, and as a result, we migrated some of Qik’s most used features into Skype,” said Microsoft.

Although Qik was loaded with lots of features, it was a dip in the rising drift of social apps. Hence, you should start saving important messages, if any from Qik.