The Need for a Unified Messaging App
Is there an app to rule them all?
Two nights ago, I was on Facebook Messenger chatting with my friends from high school (Messenger has been our primary means of connecting with each other primarily because all of us own a Facebook account). During that conversation, we were talking about switching to the Telegram messaging app because we wanted to play the Werewolf game plus create custom stickers for our use. The Telegram app is not new to us. It so happens that during that time, we felt the want to actually use it.
Downloading several messaging apps for different reasons is normal. Usually this is based on preference and the availability of the app in the network of people you are in. At work, for example, Whatsapp is the primary means to connect to my boss and workmates. All our work ‘groups’ are on Whatsapp. In my previous work, it was Viber. Even after I resigned from my previous company, I still communicate with them through the same means.
Viber, Messenger, Whatsapp, and Telegram are just a few among the many different messaging apps we have available in different platforms. Each individual prefers different things — the custom stickers in Telegram, the security of Whatsapp, the wider access of Messenger, and the list of reasons go on.
I have been juggling through different apps for quite some time now and I felt the need to have a unified app to aggregate all messages into one interface. As a college colleague pointed out, Apple is already doing a unified experience for VoIP calls — intergrating VoIP apps into the iOS 10 interface. Siri can even communicate to these different apps — sending messages using 3rd party applications.
If it’s possible to have a unified interface for all messaging apps then life can be a little easier. The only question here is: Is there an app to rule them all?
