Must-Have Features Of Messaging App

Published in

The Startup

8 min readMar 14, 2019

This year has already prepared many surprises for each of us. The technological tsunami carries us faster and faster to the “new reality”: AI-powered technologies, machine learning, neural networks, self-driving cars, uncrewed aerial vehicles, blockchain- this list increases at a breathtaking speed. Get ready because tomorrow is now.

Various scientific achievements, small and large, occur every day. The Internet has become a catalyst for this progress. Thoughts, well-organized into words and wonderfully animated, move with the incredible speed around the world. All this happens thanks to the well-established communications. Instant messaging, often shortened to IM or IM’ing, is the exchange of real-time messages through a stand-alone application or embedded software. Instant messaging differs from email in the immediacy of the message exchange. IMs are often brief, and the chats tend to be session-based, having a start and an end.

Why People Use Messaging Apps?

Real-time text transmission
Conveniency
Records of a chat history
Easy for multitasking
Operating anytime anywhere using the WiFi or Mobile Network operators
Stickers

Communication is an essential component of any business: interaction with external or internal customers, end users, employees. A good communication platform is vital to stay connected with the employees and broadcast information fast and efficiently. Thousands of people support the escalation from IM to other ways of communication, such as group chat, voice calls or video conferencing.

Depending on the purpose of use we can separate messengers into those with business needs or for corporate use, such as Slack, Hangouts, Flock, Stride and those for everyday communications like WhatsApp, FB Messenger, WeChat, Telegram, and others.

The below graph represents the most popular based on the number of monthly active users (in millions) according to Statista:

Perhaps everybody has heard about WhatsApp and Instagram acquisition by Facebook. In late January 2019, they announced about their intention to unify its messaging apps, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, on one platform. The average number of apps people use daily is 9, monthly — 30, and Facebook has about 30 percent of the mobile market as it has Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

The rapidly changing world points that a simple chat application is not required anymore. Every year more and more messengers with extra value appear. Starting with the apparent messenger functionality (texting), people find it convenient for calling, sending, and sharing photos, making group chats, and they need to be confident in its security. That is why there already exist:

Signal or Telegram, with their focus on safety and speed;
Hangouts, an HD video, voice & text communication system integrated into Google+ and Gmail;
Slack, all in one manageable business system;
Skype, a video conference tool;
Discord, a social network for gamers.

Before creating your messaging app ask yourself: What features are must-have?

We Created Our Own Must-Have Features List:

1. Encryption & Online Privacy

Starting from terabytes of data sent via your messenger, and ending with confidential data of the large corporations which are loaded, transferred and stored every single day thus, respect for privacy and adequate data protection are critical. Here the End-To-End encryption appears. This technology ensures all your messages and their recipients have the keys required to decrypt their content and makes it impossible for any third party to read your messages. The initial requirements of the app define Encryption & Online Privacy. For extra security, chat apps periodically change their cryptographic keys. If there is a messenger for a Bank or Crypto Messenger, it may become a real backdoor for hackers.

2. Cloud & Data Synchronization

Cloud Services enabled storing your files in different places up-to-date. When you make a change in a particular document on the device, it is applied automatically to all other devices(no matter where it is, it in the cloud or your tablet). For messengers, this means that the chat histories and files sent by users are securely stored and easily accessed anytime from anywhere.

3. Data Persistence for Offline Usage

Saves your battery. WiFi and mobile Internet eat your battery. The mobile application with full support of offline mode is escalating at a higher rate. The real motto of such apps lies in building a reliable and secure environment that will be useful for people of all ages and all the types. Developing an app that will work effectively even in offline mode or adopt the offline capability will allow people to get flexible mobile app experience when the connection is low, slow, flickering or not working. These are the best advantaged to get a place in your users’ heart as they will found it very easy to use your app.

The Indisputable Advantages of The Offline Mode in Your App:

No roaming cost when you are traveling as all the files can be cached
No monthly data usage on maps
Quick loading time

4. Bots

These are small programs that are embedded in chats or public channels to perform a specific function.

What is its purpose?

To Manage communities and blogs: news with timers, self-destroying statuses
Help-Bots to assist with registrations and any other issues
Custom created bots using the open source chatbot frameworks, etc.

5. “Day” and “Night” mode

This feature is not only aesthetically pleasing to many people. There are also real battery-life boosts to be had. Touting the benefits of Dark Mode, Google showed that with screen brightness set to 50 percent, using YouTube with Dark Mode enabled resulted in 14 percent less battery usage. With the screen brightness set to 100 percent, the saving jumps to 60 percent. The harsh bright light of a smartphone can cause discomfort when viewed in a dark room, and the muted aesthetic of a dark UI will not show up as well in a brightly lit area. Still, User Interface design is one of the most creative, artistic aspects of the entire UX process.

6. Platforms Availability

Your messenger can be compatible with different platforms: Native (following WhatsApp’s footsteps, you can build a chat app for iPhone/Android using native tech; such apps run on a single platform. Cross-platform (multiple platforms) which is continued choosing over native development because instead of developing two separate apps you can create one and share that code among the operating systems making platform-specific adjustments as necessary, and it’s cheaper as you need fewer developers and fewer hours of work, and for many startups that is a defining moment. Hybrid (platform-independent) Unlike some other cross-platform development frameworks, the React Native framework implements a selection of native UI components. It means that applications will look like native apps. If done correctly, a React Native app is hardly distinguishable from a native app.

DashDevs has considerable expertise with both native and React Native projects, and we understand the importance of considering the specifics of the app: if it is a bank messenger, you can be logged only from one device, or you can store data using one specific device. Plus, we can’t deny the importance of Version Compatibility Mode (a software mechanism in which a software either emulates an older version of a software or mimics another operating system to allow older or incompatible software or files to remain compatible with the computer’s newer hardware or software).

The key features of any messenger are defined depending on the world tendencies and the additional value of the messenger.

Possible Killer Features Of Your App

VR and AR technologies

VR development is supposed to be the future of tech. The market is just about to explode. With long expected Oculus Rift, HTC Vive Pro, and Gear VR the year 2019 is going to be significant. This technology successfully applies to healthcare, education, military, architecture, and presents an excellent way for business owners to acquaint customers with their goods and services.

Pros of using AR and VR effects in chat app:

With AR technology, we can make users feel closer to their friends. Technology has made it possible for us to talk real time through video chat. We believed that the next level of interaction is to share the view adding cool AR effects.
Users can add new friends, create the AR room, video chat and doodle in each other’s space.
Implementation inside the chat app for various brands, so to help brands form deeper relationships with their customers. AR also helps customers visualize virtual versions of products in their own homes instantly through immersive AR experiences.
AR App has tremendous scope for application in industries like medicine, retail, travel, and entertainment.
With VR you can create and share your own social virtual worlds. Messaging app with VR technology can be a new way of сommunication.
You can add an endless collection of social VR experiences by giving the power of creation to its community.

Cons:

This technology requires a degree of monetary investment and technical skill that not every organization can afford. Our understanding of how humans can usefully navigate and interact within virtual or augmented environments will also lead to the creation of more “natural” methods of interaction and exploring virtual space. Nevertheless, this market is still waiting for a killer app, and this is an excellent opportunity for startups and running businesses to find their niche.

E-Wallet

Apptopia says that Messenger, Facebook, Instagram, and, of course, WhatsApp are in top 10 apps by overall time spent.
Integrating payment SDK into your messaging app will facilitate the life of existing users and expand your user base.
Pros:

Allows users to complete payments quickly and easily with their smartphones.
Pay for the goods in the supermarket and cafes while chatting with friends.
Fulfill the full range of payment scenarios that your customers may encounter.
Service can expand and optimize the O2O consumption experience, providing professional internet solutions for traditional brick-and-mortar businesses.
Payment operations can be enabled using chatbots.

Cons:

Possible issues with canceling payments.
Data can be mined and analyzed in surprising ways, so be mindful of how you send and receive money, especially in group chats.

DashDevs — Sci-Tech Crew

DashDevs has considerable expertise in mobile apps development. Captivating concepts are not meant to be stored just for the records. Following this thought, we have accepted the challenge — to build digital assets that will fast-forward and empower ideas worth spreading with strength and density.

Nowadays with a high-level project management style, best practices, and scientific approach we take an idea and bring it to life.
The results to deliver might be two times better what you expect.

Feel free to contact us at https://www.dashdevs.com/