【2020 Archives】

In 2016020 Archives building a brand new messaging app and hoping it catches on seems particularly quixotic.

Why spend two years building an app that must ceaselessly throw itself against the wall of Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Kik and the rest? If you're of the Steve Jobs school of thought, then "a positive impact on the world," would be your answer, of course.

SEE ALSO: Snapchat's rumored augmented glasses could be one step closer to reality

That's the story of Johnny Cheng. The 27-year-old and his band of fellow twenty-somethings have built a free iOS and Android app, Amity, in "complete secrecy" on the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia.

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"Our team believed we could make a positive impact on the world," he told Mashable. "We believed that connecting people was just the beginning, and that it's now time to do something to enrich every connection worldwide."

Silicon Valley bromides aside, Amity is basically a fine looking app. It's got none of the unintuitive anti-adult functionality of Snapchat, and takes a whitespace aesthetic out of Facebook's playbook. It also has a Memories-style section where old media will be saved, and plenty of stickers.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Its major point of difference is a live mode that activates special functions, like emoji bursts, when two people are present in a chat. Instead of just sending photos, you can also request photos as well as location.

According to Cheng, Amity wants to eliminate the gap between how we interact in real life and how we interact in messaging apps. "We think there's a much lighter way to interact than just text message, so we've introduced a lot of low-friction, one-touch actions. Things like the ability to send a high-five," he said.

Although still in beta on Android, Amity definitely works smoothly on smartphones. But unfortunately, this author has no one (except a few work colleagues) to message on the app.

Cheng admitted it would be an uphill battle to fight for space in a crowded market, but pointed to the numerous ways the app can pull people on board.

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If you connect your phone's address book, your contacts are automatically added to your list if they are already on Amity. Alternatively, there is an "add nearby" functionality that's only on iOS for now. If you're in a room with your family and friends, you can turn this on and quickly add one another.

Apps like Musical.ly have captured users because they offer a new, celebrity-style way to present yourself to the world. Other consumer-facing messaging apps, such as Signal, have hitched their appeal to growing public awareness about digital privacy. Amity, for now, has prioritised cute functions over end to end encryption.

"We're actively looking into ways we can offer encryption, while still allowing people to use Amity on any platform or device at any time," Cheng said. "We want to introduce these options while allowing people to have a creative experience."

While the startup has been entirely self-funded so far according to Cheng, they're in the midst of raising a seed round.

One investor is Mick Johnson. The San Francisco-based former Facebook employee confirmed he had committed "five figures" to the startup. Johnson praised the Amity team's grit and enthusiasm.

"Messaging is obviously a busy space, but it's clear to me that messaging 10 years from now will be very different to what we have today," he told Mashablein an email. "China is already far ahead in terms of what consumers can access, compared to the West. So the opportunity to back a small, passionate team who've built a very slick product and iterate rapidly was pretty appealing."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

If Amity truly starts to compete with products such as Facebook Messenger, for example, you can be sure those companies will quickly integrate its key features. Witness Instagram's self-admitted rip off of Snapchat, via Instagram Stories. That's not to say no one should try and take on the big guys on, but without new tech such as heavy encryption, it may prove fruitless.

In any case, if Amity proves sticky enough, they could be bought outright.

For now, Cheng is downplaying that idea. He's hoping to make it big. "We want to build one of the next great tech companies," he said.

"We're on a mission to create a communication experience that's more complete, more human and inspiring. That mission won't be complete for a long time."

Those are some admirable ambitions. You almost wish Amity was not just another way to send smiley faces to your friends.