hike Messenger

Hike
Word "Hike by Aim mishra" written in blue
Developer(s) Kavin Bharti Mittal
Initial release December 12, 2012 (2012-12-12)
Stable release(s)
Android 5.6.2 / March 5, 2018 (2018-03-05)[1]
iOS 5.6.2 / March 15, 2018 (2018-03-15)[2]
Operating system Android, iOS
Available in 10 languages
List of languages
English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Sanskrit
Type Instant messaging, voice over IP
License Freeware
Website get.hike.in

Hike is an Indian social and technology company, with a namesake freeware, cross-platform messaging and Voice over IP (VoIP) application. In addition to text messaging, Hike users can send each other graphical stickers[3], emoticons, images, videos, audios, files, voice messages, contacts and user location.

Hike was launched on 12 December 2012.[4] On 16 August 2016, Hike raised $175 million in a new round of funding led by Tencent & Foxconn. After raising this round Hike reached the valuation of $1.4 Billion and became the youngest startup to reach unicorn status having achieved it in just 3.7 years after launch.[5] Hike's founder is Kavin Bharti Mittal.[6]

History

Launched on 12 December 2012, Hike attained 15 million users in February 2014.[7] Over the next few months, the application introduced free text messaging across India, chat themes, updated stickers, hidden chats and revamped user interface. In August 2014, Hike reached 35 million users.[8]

Hike made its first acquisition in 2015, buying free voice-calling company Zip Phones, which allowed it to launch free app based calling services that are emerging as a key draw for users.[9] Later in 2015, Hike also integrated the brands TinyMogul and Hoppr under its own brand name.[10]

In 2015 Hike launched the "Great Indian Sticker Challenge" to invite designers to design new stickers. According to the company, 30% of the traffic comes from stickers.[11]

In October 2015, Hike announced that the user base of Hike had reached 70 million, with more than 20 billion messages shared each month.[12] In December 2015, over 1 billion messages were being shared over the app in one day.[13]

In January 2016, Hike crossed registered over 100 million users. "Crossing 100 million users is a milestone for us and we have achieved this magic number well ahead of our expectations", founder and CEO, Kavin Bharti Mittal said in a statement.[14]

In November 2016, Hike announced the launch of Stories, a feature that allows people to share stories about their lives and real moments using fun live filters. These stories vanish in 24 hours.[15]

In June 2017, Hike announced the launch of Hike 5.0 along with Hike Wallet. It became the first Indian messaging app to launch payments after this announcement.[16] In addition to the Hike Wallet, Hike launched multiple new features including 10 new App Themes, a Night Mode and Magic Selfie. It also brought back its Timeline feature after multiple user requests.[17]

Later in 2017, Hike also announced its acquisition of hardware startup Creo for an undisclosed amount.[18]

Funding

Hike raised its first round of funding of $7 million from Bharti and SoftBank in April 2013.[19] It received another round of investment of $14M from Bharti and Softbank in March 2014.[20] In August 2014, Hike reached 35 million users and raised $65 million in a funding round led by Tiger Global.[21]

On 16 August 2016 Hike raised $175 million in a new round of funding led by Tencent & Foxconn. After raising this round Hike reached the valuation of $1.4 Billion and became the youngest startup to reach unicorn status having achieved it in just 3.7 years after launch.[22]~

Total, built by Hike

In January 2018, the company announced the launch of 'Total, built by Hike'.[23] Total allowed users to access services on their mobiles even in the offline mode or without the internet.

Hike teamed up with mobile carriers and OEMs for Total, with device makers bundling a tweaked version of Android that makes Hike the default text/call app and loads features like Hike’s wallet, cricket news and horoscopes. Hike announced Intex, Karbonn and Airtel Mera Pehla Smartphone as device partners and Airtel, BSNL and Aircel as telecom partners.[24]

Features

Content

Hike News

With 60 words news on the go, Hike News allows users to stay updated with the latest happenings around India and the world. Hike News comes in 8 Indian languages apart from English - Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati and Kannada.

Hike Cricket

Users can get the latest cricket score updates with Hike Cricket.

Jokes

Hike also aggregates the latest jokes and memes for users in an endless, snackable content feed.

Hike ID

In January 2018, Hike announced the launch of Hike ID to enhance its privacy features. Hike ID is a unique custom username that removes the need for sharing phone numbers to chat with someone. Users can also search for each other using their Hike ID.[25]

Themes

Hike supports 2 way chat themes that a user can change according to their relationship with person or their mood. The option for chat themes are limited but one can set the theme with their own pictures. The app also allows users to set their own App Theme, letting users choose from 10 different inbuilt themes. Hike also announced the launch of Night Mode - an app theme to reduce strain on eyes in low light conditions.

Stickers

Apart from basic social messaging means like photos, videos, emoticons and audio files and emojis, Hike has 20000+ graphical stickers. Many of the sticker packs can be used across different geographies but a lot of them are highly customized for Indian users. The stickers are available in 40+ Indian languages. Hike also has sticker suggestions where the application suggests the best reply for any sticker message. Apart from this, Hike allows users to "nudge", a feature used to ping the receiver. In September 2017, Hike launched personalised sticker packs for over 500 colleges across India.[26]

Voice and video

In January 2015, Hike introduced a voice calling feature for their users.[27] The messenger provides free voice-calling over 2G, 3G and Wi-Fi across the globe in over 200 countries. In Sep 2015, Hike launched free group calls with up to 100 people in a conference call.[28]

In October 2016, Hike introduced a Video calling feature for their users.[29] The messenger provides free video-calling over 2G, 3G and Wi-Fi across the globe in over 200 countries. Hike has received more appreciations on this feature.

Timeline and Stories

In the Timeline, users can share pictures, videos, links or text updates with their friends or everyone on Hike, based on their privacy settings. Users can also upload Stories with various face filters and stickers. These stories stay for 24 hours for friends to see before disappearing.

Other

  • Hidden mode allows users to hide individual and group chats providing extended privacy.
  • Hike also has a talking bot called Natasha, that uses AIML(Artificial Intelligence Markup language) to chat with users.
  • Hike Daily sends daily quotes and facts to all users.
  • In March 31, 2016 Hike announced Hike Smell, a fictional feature added as a prank on April Fools' Day.Users were informed that by using special sensors in their phones, they could capture and attach smells to their messages.[30]

Privacy

Hike uses a 128-bit SSL encrypted, firewalled server for the exchange of media and text messages only on WiFi. Messages are stored locally in the user's device and the data is not backed-up to Hike's server.[31]

Hike also has a Hidden mode for extended privacy. In addition to this, users have the option of choosing who to share their last seen and profile pictures with.

References

  1. ↑ "hike messenger". Play Store. Google. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ "hike messenger". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Hike Stickers". Download Hike Stickers.
  4. ↑ "Hike Launches Globally". Bharti SoftBank. December 12, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  5. ↑ https://medium.com/@kavinbm/175-million-tencent-foxconn-d9cc8686821f#.mj2n64xj8
  6. ↑ https://medium.com/@kavinbm
  7. ↑ "BSB invests $7 million in free messaging app "hike" – after it crosses 5 million users in just 4 months". Bharti SoftBank. April 25, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Hike Messenger Crosses 35 Million Users | Raises $65M Led by Tiger Global". TechMoran. 2014-08-27. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  9. ↑ "Hike Messenger buys Zip Phone to offer Internet calls". The Economic Times. January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Hike brings Hoppr, Tiny Mogul Games under main brand". The Economic Times. 2015-08-13. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  11. ↑ "Hike Messenger launches the "Great Indian Sticker Challenge"". The Financial Express. Feonline. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "No need to regulate OTT players, says Kavin Mittal as Hike touches 70 million users". IndianExpress. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  13. ↑ http://Hike.in/blog/1-billion-messages-a-day/
  14. ↑ "100 mn-user mark crossed by hike messenger". The Financial Express. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  15. ↑ "Hike launches 'Stories,' adds in-app camera with Live Filter | Gadgets Now". Gadget Now. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  16. ↑ "Hike beats WhatsApp to launching messenger app payments in India – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  17. ↑ "Hike Messenger launches the All New Hike 5.0 with Hike Wallet". Hike Blog for Press. 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  18. ↑ "Indian messaging app Hike acquires hardware startup Creo – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  19. ↑ Russell, Jon (2013-04-25). "Hike Raises $7 Million to Take on WhatsApp in India". The Next Web. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  20. ↑ "Indian Mobile Messaging App Hike Raises $14M In New Funding From BSB – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  21. ↑ Aulakh, Gulveen (2014-08-26). "Hike raises $65 million from foreign investors, including Tiger Global". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  22. ↑ "India's WhatsApp rival Hike raises $175M led by Tencent at a $1.4B valuation – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  23. ↑ "Hike unbundles its messaging app to reach India's next wave of smartphone users – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  24. ↑ David, Nash (2018-01-17). "Total built by hike: The internet in sachets could drive India's next billion netizens". BGR India. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  25. ↑ "Hike Messenger's New Feature Lets Users Chat Without Sharing Phone Number". NDTV Gadgets360.com. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  26. ↑ "Hike introduces personalized sticker packs for over 500 colleges across India". gizbot.com/. 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  27. ↑ "Hike Messenger Now Offers Free Voice Calling With "Hike Calls"".
  28. ↑ "Hike Messenger for Android allows free group calls with up to 100 people".
  29. ↑ "Video Calling on Hike "Hike Calls"".
  30. ↑ Forum, Xiaomi MIUI Official. "Hike smell must read - India - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum". en.miui.com. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  31. ↑ "Security". Bharti SoftBank. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
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