Silicon valley giants are forcing themselves into the heavily crowded messaging app space. We saw Google reboot its messaging apps in the form of Allo and Duo. A new report now talks about Amazon contemplating the launch of a messaging app known as “Anytime”. This app will apparently have a wide range of functions and features. However, it’s not known at this point if Amazon will keep this limited to its devices like the Fire Tablet and the Fire TV, although we expect there to be some added perks for users of its products.
Amazon is said to have begun a survey with its customers on the feasibility of an app like this. There are a couple of screenshots available as well, which give us a detailed idea of how things work. One of the screenshots talks about features like video/voice calls, and extensive support for group chats. The company claims that the app will “encrypt important messages”, suggesting that encryption won’t apply to all chats, but only to a few pre-selected conversations. We hope to get more clarity from Amazon on this particular aspect.
The app will also allow you to talk directly with businesses, which could be Amazon’s way of monetizing the service. Apps like Telegram and WhatsApp have toyed around with this particular idea, so it’s no surprise that Amazon will take it up as well. There will be dedicated applications on Android, iOS, mobile, and desktops to provide seamless cross platform connectivity.
It is important to note that Amazon’s Chime, which was launched earlier this year, is also a messaging app, although it’s primarily targeted towards enterprise customers. It goes without saying that the company will use the same tech on the back-end to power Anytime. We expect more word to follow on this new app in the days to come.
