It’s been a little more than a month since the app launched on iOS devices, but 3rd-party add-on Holler!4Kik has been working vigorously on new updates and features and has since changed its name to K*Tok.
K*Tok brings Kik Messenger more in line with WhatsApp. Its key features include the ability to send and receive voice messages and sound effects to Kik friends. In addition, users can start a live voice chat with up to 10 participants. K*Tok also tells us that a “voice changing” feature and a new UI are all coming soon.
Voice messages are sort of like push to talk and can be sent on an unlimited basis and can be up to 20 seconds in length, the first 8 seconds of which are transcribed. We’re told HD voice will soon be available as a paid upgrade for those who choose to have higher quality voice messages sent to friends. It not only acts as a viable alternative for Recorder for Kik, it takes the feature to a whole new level.
As for sound effects, users can choose up to 3 free sound effects to send to friends, with a number of paid bundles featuring varied types of sound effects currently available for Android, and coming soon to iOS. Like voice messages, these sound effects can be sent via Kik Messenger on an unlimited basis.
Live voice chat finally brings true voice capability to the Kik Messenger app. It does, however, require calling into a United States-based phone number. Up to 10 friends can join a live voice chat simultaneously and can chat up to 6 hours without limit.
From what we’ve been told, the upcoming voice changing feature will be available in the next two weeks for Android devices with the iOS version arriving “a bit later,” although an exact time frame hasn’t been nailed down. There will be 2 free voice change effects for users from the get-go with a number of paid upgrades also available. Users can utilize the voice changer to make their voice higher, lower, spooky, funny, or anything in between.
As for the new UI, all we know is that it will be “cleaner” and “more elegant,” and will be released this month.
K*Tok is one of the best add-on applications we’ve seen for Kik and really brings the application up to par with its competitors on the market. No word yet on a release for Windows Phone users, but we’ll surely keep everyone up to date when the release is in the pipeline. For now, the latest version can be downloaded on iTunes or Google Play.
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