My name is Justin, and I’m a messaging app junkie. I constantly change messaging apps, test new ones for fun, and I’m never completely satisfied. I’ve somewhat settled on Handcent SMS over the last month or so, but I’m always open to trying out something new, which is why I recently downloaded a fun little app called Sliding Messaging.
The app itself is an interesting take on the stock Android messaging app, in that users can simply swipe left or right to move from one conversation to another. It’s an incredibly simple idea, but Sliding Messaging doesn’t stop there. Sliding from the far left to the right reveals a complete list of conversations, and sliding from the far right to the left brings up a new message.
It’s a bit awkward at first to learn where to swipe from to get these actions, but I quickly got the hang of it. The basic idea is that sliding to the left or right from the center of the screen will go from conversation to conversation. Sliding from one edge of the screen to the opposite edge will give you the conversation list or new message layout, depending on which direction you swipe. There’s a slight learning curve, but it’s well worth it.
The development of Sliding Messaging is very progressive. One of the most recent updates added emojis, and we’re told that MMS support is also in the works. Keep in mind that it’s only a week old, so bugs are still being squashed. With that being said, I’ve been very happy with the overall performance of Sliding Messaging.
There’s a very minimalist feel throughout the app, which may be due to the fact that it’s in its infancy. In any case, the app possesses this calm, subtle feel, and users aren’t bombarded with tons of buttons. Hopefully this doesn’t change too much when more features are added.
The settings are somewhat barebones for now, although more updates are literally being pushed out by the day. Users have the option to change the theme of the app, as well as customize the color of the title bar. There are a few other settings, including standard notification options, and pop-up reply. For the moment, it’s a very simple app with a great foundation.
I spoke via email with Jacob, the app’s creator and developer, and asked him what his inspiration was for Sliding Messaging. In his own words, Jacob had this to say:
“I really made this app because I love the look of the stock messaging app, but I knew I could add a better feel to it. That was my motivation.”
Sliding Messaging is still in the very early stages of development, but Jacob is working tirelessly to improve it every day. I’m excited to see where this app goes in the near future, and what Jacob comes up with next. Sliding Messaging can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for free. There’s also a donate version for $0.99. Links to both can be found below.
What We Liked
- Built on a great concept of simple sliding gestures
- Color customizations are a nice touch
- Progressive development will provide new features fairly quickly.
- Minimalistic look adds to the simplicity of the app
Room for Improvement
- At this point, it’s too early to tell. Bugs are still being worked out, and more features are on the way. It’s worth noting that the app doesn’t currently support MMS, though.
Download Sliding Messaging (Google Play)
Download Sliding Messaging Donate (Google Play)
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