Hike introduces Hikeland, a virtual space to meet friends

Instant messaging application Hike has revealed an interesting feature on their platform to help the users cope with social distancing across the globe.The new feature called HikeLand is claimed to be a virtual space where users can interact with one another. The feature is not limited to that. It also allows people to make new friends as well as watch videos together.

The new HikeLand feature will be rolling out to users on both Android and iOS from Wednesday. The user will have to update to the most recent version of Hike Sticker Chat to avail the new HikeLand feature. Once updated, the user will have to tap on the globe icon within the main application.

Hike is offering two virtual environments – Home and Big Screen. In the Home environment, the user will be able to invite friends to watch videos together. Currently the app allows users to watch content on YouTube but they claim that they will try to include other providers as well.

In this mode, the host will be able to invite people and no one else can enter the space without the host’s consent.

Big Screen, as the name suggests, is a mode where you can watch a video with other people. These can be known or unknown people. With this mode, a user can ping others in the theatre. Only after receiving a response to the first message, the two sides can continue to interact with each other.

In a report by Hindustan Times, Hike founder & CEO Kavin Bharti Mittal stated, “This is the early preview with two unique shared experiences. The goal here is to listen to our users and understand what works and what more do they need. We will be building many more experiences on top of the version you see today,” he said.