Staying in the moment

The app features an attractive interface. Pics/Honk on app store

Where would we be without instant messaging? Well, alive for sure, but it's still a difficult scenario to imagine given our reliance on it. Enter Honk, a messaging app that launched this year that is climbing up the downloads chart. Available only for iPhone users as of now, it offers real-time messaging ie there is no ‘send' button, and the receiver can see what the sender is typing as they type. I downloaded it to see if it's any good, and begged a friend to do so, too, so we could have a conversation on it.

Friends can see what the others are typing at a given moment

You can either choose to enter your phone number or log in via your Apple ID to sign up. Then, you pick a user name and add a profile picture if you like. It's well-designed and the interface has a Snapchat-like feel to it. If you don't have a friend to talk to yet, you can try out the app's features by conversing with a bot called Honk Bot. Typing a message is fun because the other person can see everything in real-time and then, the message disappears. So, it's a model that could work well for intimate conversations since nothing, not even images, are stored. And it's tough to take a screenshot, too, unless you are fast enough.

We loved using emojis in the app because you tap on one and multiple copies of it flood the screen. But there's a limited set, and if you want to use more, you have to link them to words by tapping into a feature called ‘Magic Words', which allows you to equate a phrase such as "Omg" with a shock reaction emoji. And it's a disappointment that ‘memojis' aren't allowed, given that the app's restricted to iPhone users. "We've gotten really used to reading messages and responding later, which is something you cannot do on the app; it demands your presence. Using this app as the primary mode of communication would mean that I can only talk to friends in the period of time we both take out to converse. So, I'd much rather get on a phone call with them," my friend Daksha Parmani says.

Another downside to the app is the absence of group chats that so many of us use today on other messaging apps. But that said, the visuals are the real winner, here. It's engaging to the extent that I haven't uninstalled it yet. Honk, we feel, would resonate better with our pals down the Gen Z ladder, who won't be as strapped for time as the rest of us. But we hope it makes its Play Store debut soon.

Log on to: Honk on App Store