New year, new you, new messenger: say goodbye to WhatsApp, Snapchat, and whatever “Line” is, (thanks for the heads-up on that one Tech Crunch), because if you’re not an old who wants to continue communicating with all your peers, you’ll soon be downloading Peach, a brand-new messaging app from Dom Hofmann (the creator of Vine) that’s supposed to do things no messaging app has ever done before. (No, it will not make you a pizza, so please stop asking.)
According to Tech Crunch, the new app won’t be like traditional messengers that came before it. Unlike Gchat, which allows for one-on-one communication, Peach will put “everything out in the open” giving you yet another Twitter-like timeline to follow (and feel bad about when your friends don’t follow you back). Unlike Twitter and Facebook, however, Peach is supposed to be easier to use, have a “slicker” onboarding process, and allow you to message, GIF, and draw with ease. It also allows you to use “magic words.”
What are “magic words”? Here, let Peach explain:
Magic Words give you fun things to post to your space. Start typing a Magic Word, then tap the bubble that appears to activate it.
Already sounds a little complicated, but it’s also useful. Unlike Twitter which didn’t allow you to use GIFs forever and Facebook (which still might not), just typing the word GIF will imbue you with the ability to find and post one on Peach. And if that’s not enough, there’s more more more:
* Use “draw” to post a doodle or sketch.
* Use “song” to share whatever’s playing right now. Friends can tap on the song to open it in Apple Music or Spotify.
* The magic word “rate” lets you give anything—anything!— a 1-5 star rating.
* Other magic words: gif, here, goodmorning, goodnight, battery, weather, move, meetings, safari, dice, time, date, movie, tv, and game. With more on the way.
Finally, a way to show that you hate that your friend’s grandma died by giving it a solid one! But there’s also one magic word that’s more awesome than all the rest:
* Use the magic word “shout” to write a few words (+ emoji) in BIG letters on a background color.
That will not get tired quickly. Not for me, anyway.
Besides being slick and easy-to-use, Peach also allows users to notify others if they want them to see their posts. Tech Crunch compares this to Facebook’s much-maligned “poke” feature, and it could go badly (with users poking friends they really want to see their updates way too much), but could also be a useful way to make sure everyone’s in the loop.
The app’s out now, and people are already reacting to it on Twitter, where the hashtag Peach is trending:
https://twitter.com/HelmetWitch/status/685615535338450944
I'll never use the new app Peach, but did I sign up and claim the username LouisCK? UMMM YEAH
— Zachs That Go Hard (@ZachBroussard) January 9, 2016
to be fair Peach is a way better app name than Toadstool
— katherine morayati (@morayati) January 9, 2016
Who else has a Peach account let's be friends until we delete this app in 78 hours
— Kate Beckman (@Kate_Beckman) January 8, 2016
Does anyone still use Peach?
— mat honan ☀️ (@mat) January 8, 2016
Okay, so people are #skeptical, but it seems kind of fun anyway. Enjoy it for the next week. You can visit the app’s official site to get your download on now. That website’s URL, by the way? It’s Peach.cool. Just like restaurants that have the word “yummy” in their name, there’s literally no way this app could fail.
(Via Tech Crunch)