Yes, it's true -- there are still people out there doing the AIM chatting thing or getting their Yahoo Chat on. We know, we know, it's hard for us to believe it too. But for those of us who have our benighted friends trapped in the late 90s, there is still hope. We can chat with them on our iOS devices and still manage to grab our Facebook friends and our Gmail folks. These may not be the one app to bind them but they come pretty close when you rock the multi-client instant messaging apps.
One of the longer-standing instant messaging apps out there, Beejive, Inc.'s Beejive has made quite a name for itself as a multi-client instant messenger, letting you use one app to contact your Yahoo! chatters, your Google Talkers, your Facebookers, and more. The app is slickly designed from a graphical user interface level. And it's pretty in an iPhone version and an iPad version. Both will run you $9.99, though currently the developer is having a half-price sale.
The usual suspects make their appearance
To get started you first need to input your account information to log in to the various IM clients offered. Sign up is as easy as possible. In both the iPad and iPhone versions, you tap the little honeycomb icon similar to their logo, you tap on the service you want to add, and then you type in your credentials.
Setting your status seemed to work out some bugs
We had no trouble setting up our accounts, but then neither the iPad nor iPhone versions wanted to load our buddy list. Even manually adding names didn't help. Eventually, the iPhone loaded our friends, but the iPad refused to connect and repeatedly logged us out. We closed it, we deleted it and reinstalled, we restarted our iOS devices, all to no avail. And when we logged off Beejive and signed back in on our iPhones our contacts were gone. Even hours later, the problem persisted. Signing in individually and using a custom status, oddly enough, seemed to help.
This error message plagued us for days
A couple days later, we got our friend lists to load, but one of our chats had repeated the final comment 128 times. Lists loaded slowly and when we signed out and signed back in nothing happened. We had to repeat the process a couple times to get the lists to load.
We can chat eventually but we don't want to have this conversation over and over
However, once you get a buddy list loaded, you simply tap on that person's name and you're taken to a chat window. This is a bubble conversation reminiscent of the iPhone's Messages. There's no obvious place to start typing but the keyboard shows up. Tap a letter and a black translucent overlay lets you begin chatting. Push send and it turns into a bubble. Beejive can retain your chat history (or let you delete it).
It's a nice GUI and a shame it didn't work better
There is a favorites option if you're a power user with hundreds of friends and contacts, the ability to sort your contacts into groups, plus push notifications that alter you in the background. At the top of the chatting screen, there's also a tiny panel that slides out the options to send photos, a short voice message, your location, or even a text of the conversation.
We know Beejive is one of the preferred IM apps out there but we aren't feeling the love. The app was buggy to the degree that we couldn't use it which defeats the point of any app, but especially a communication based one. And at a regular price of $9.99 for each app, that seems a way too high price to pay.
SHAPE Services has long been a Beejive competitor and their goal is to give you something a little more with IM+ Pro. To this end they've added in somethings that aren't strictly chat, such as your Twitter timeline. For social media types this is a boon. They've also integrated Skype, though only the instant messaging portion of the service and not the phone calls and video chatting.
Twitter, but with a distracting background
In comparison, however, IM+ Pro was a treat compared to Beejive. Setting up was just as simple. Simply tap the person silhouette on the iPad or find the accounts you can add under More on the iPhone. IM+ Pro currently offers the nine most common services including ICQ, Facebook, Yahoo, Jabber, AOL, and more. After our Beejive trouble, it was also a treat to see our contacts actually load. Also like Beejive, there was no trouble about setting up multiple accounts, so if you rock the Google Talk from more than one Gmail account, there's no problem either way.
Easy to add accounts if you tap that little person
In fact, the only trouble we had with IM+ Pro of any kind was the background wallpaper where the translucency of the list made it somewhat difficult to read statuses on the iPhone. On the iPad, your contacts are on a black background for ease of reading and chats are in bubbles. This can easily be tweaked in the settings to make for a more personalized experience.
Chatty chatters can be sent files
Conversations were quick and responsive and our contacts were up to date. We found when Beejive did load our contacts, our Facebook friends' list was always behind in their app compared to what was going on online. With this app, those who came online were instantly in the queue. Here too we found we could make a list of favorites to find our besties quickly.
The screen can get a little crowded
One more thing that IM+ Pro offered that helped put it ahead of Beejive for us was a built in browser. Frequently we're chatting with friends and during a lull in conversation, we want to look something up. Backgrounding our chat for surfing can have us bouncing in and out of apps to return to the conversation. This lets us surf as we chat without worry. Toss in Twitter, as IM+ Pro does, and we're likely to chat even longer.
It will push notifications this whole time
Push is another feature IM+ Pro brags of and we found it worked great. Not only that, but we could kill the app without logging out and still get push notifications of messages from our friends. That's a killer feature -- and we can set it to continue pushing for up to seven days after we close the app.
IM+ even offers a browser-based chat for when you're on a desktop. Unfortunately, this site and the app aren't set to sync accounts, which would make set up even faster and easier.
Everyone likes to say they cover all the online messaging bases, but Meebo, from Meebo, Inc., really does the job. Both Beejive and IM+ Pro stop after the usual suspects, but Meebo really packs them in there. To be fair, neither of the others make you sign up for their chat service to use it, letting you cut straight to Google or Facebook, while you're required to get a Meebo account to access all the others.
We haven't even heard of some of these
But the great thing about that is Meebo the app syncs with Meebo the web-based version so that all the IM networks you add in one place will be there in the other. And what do we mean by all the IM services? We mean 72 different chats including obscurities like Zorpia, urFooz, online virtual pet site FooPets, and on and on. You can set each of your accounts to load on start up or to wait for you to activate.
Simple sign up
Sign in with your Meebo account or create one, tap the Accounts button at the bottom of your iPhone, then tap the Add Accounts button and follow the on-screen instructions. This usually consists of entering your username and password. Like the other IM apps, you can sign up for multiple accounts at the same service.
Sign in to as many accounts as you have
The app is relatively simple in comparison to the other two without as many bells and whistles. There's an update section we never quite understood, but when we typed in our name, we got to see our Facebook wall, but little else. A QR code button in the upper left gave us a scanning option. There's no push notification setting, so you'll have to stay in the app to get your messages and unlike the others, there's no iPad version (currently), so to rock the big tablet you'll have to run the iPhone version embiggened.
Discretely separated buddies is convenient
There's no question Meebo is designed with simplicity in mind. With multiple accounts and multiple kinds of chat protocols, the amazing thing is that the app can support as many as it does -- though clearly many are using the same backend client.
As for chatting, the app's bread and butter, it too is simplicity itself. Tap a person's name, you're taken to a chat screen for that conversation, and start typing. A small camera icon in the lower left lets you share photos and a smiley in the lower right hooks you up with some emoticons. Leave a conversation by tapping Close in the upper right or the Buddies button in the left. Keep track of multiple conversations by clicking the Chats button and picking up where you left off.
A simple app that works wonders
Simple and to the point. Now if they'd just make a native iPad version.
At this point, the way it worked, we couldn't recommend Beejive any less. Instant messaging without contacts is nothing at all. Intermittent service sounds like server issues, so Beejive needs to step up their game on that front. IM+ Pro is packed with slick features and delivers push notifications like a boss, though the $9.99 price tag could give some pause. There's a free version that will give you push for up to seven hours, while the Pro version delivers it for a full seven days if you choose. But as far as just straight up chatting goes, Meebo is king as far as we can see. The app is free, easy to use, supports just a ton of different services, and never gave us a hint of trouble. If push is your rock bottom necessity, then IM+ in either flavor is a robust, feature rich option and we never had trouble using it either. If simplicity and price are your biggest concern, you won't go wrong with Meebo.
app_addict
August 18, 2011 at 10:38pm
I'll have to add a +1 to "IMO", the app... but also to my opinion. :)
This is, of course, just that... but Beejive and IM+ are the old schoolers of this category. The iO.G.'s if you will. Both look and feel sickly antiquated, and to me, IM+ — it would be that ghoul you wake up next to after a night of blackout drinking. You just want to exit the situation as quickly as possible. In other words, the interface is hideous.
Add those to the fact of a ridiculous price tag of $10, and the only way I'd consider buying one of them was if they came with a $10 bill and a promise that I could immediately remove them.
Meebo, I have also tried and is one that I would actually use (and have, before I discovered IMO). The only turnoff with Meebo, unless there is a way around it in the mobile version; you have to make a "master" Meebo account under which all of the others exist. Not a deal-breaker, but it's just one more SN/PW I've gotta remember.
IMO. Yes. So why IMO?
Interface is modern and good looking, it supports nearly every service/protocol under the sun, you can set options such as logging per each individual account, and you can even "link" accounts to sign on in tandem (say, three services you always sign into by default).
It supports the gamut from the obligatory AIM, Yahoo, MSN/Live ... to Facebook, Myspace, Skype, Jabber/XMPP, to even a handful I've never even heard about. Oh yeah, and it has a cool "walkie-talkie" feature where you hold the mic button, talk, and it sends your msg via inline/embedded sound clip. Believe it or not (not!) I prefer to avoid typing whenever possible.
Still, it is not perfection. I feel the options are a bit lacking. Yes, I'm one of those control freak "want to be able to customize every aspect of an app" guys.
One last recommendation that's kind of obscure is an AOL app, it's not AIM, but called touchTXT and is a super minimalist interface for those who primarily use AIM and SMS people. You sign in under you screen name, and you have 3 (two besides the sign-in/settings) tabs to switch between. One is CONTACTS, aka your address book; choose a contact and it shows a cleaned up view of the standard contact view — their name, picture, any AIM SN's they have, any SMS capable numbers, and a "Call" button if you decide to give them a ring. To initiate, just tap which one you want. Conveniently, you can see the status of each of their SN's here, eliminating the true need for your ordinary "buddy list". A fresh take on an old idea.
Then there's the MESSAGE tab, where you can hit the "new" icon and type a number or SN manually to begin a convo. As said... key here is simplicity and clean interface. I find myself using this frequently to carry on SMS+AIM chats in parallel. I know the normal client(s) can do this, but the full app is clunky and this one is also *ad free* I forgot to mention, and *cost free*. If you are like me AIM+SMS and want something slim, well designed (from AOL?! — I know... crazy), clean and uncluttered flow through the interface, just give it 10 mins. You may really like it. touchTXT
Finally, just as a flame retardant (unless I get flamed now, for picking on the mentally handicapped) — I have also tried Fring, eBuddy, and to be honest I couldn't name or remember them all... but they were all "decent" and "usable" from what I recall. I just had to respond to these first two listed as "best of" material. I understand rehashing old material at times as a serious blogging site... but this is one that begs to be updated for the times!
thejoshualewis
July 28, 2011 at 5:38am
I know you can't review every single chat app, but you should also check out IMO. Does all of the major services, no ads, and free.
I was a big Meebo user until they 1) added ads right above the 'enter message' section and I was constantly clicking on it, and 2) I dont want to use it to "check in" anywhere or "follow" or any of the other social aspects they were trying to add.
shanecbryson
July 27, 2011 at 4:22pm
How does someone make a list about this type of app and NOT include eBuddy? Seriously, go back to journalism school.
J Keirn-Swanson
July 27, 2011 at 9:29pm
It's a sampling of some of the apps on offer that provide a similar service to see which delivers what we consider the most beneficial experience. Clearly space doesn't permit, nor readers' attention spans, for us to compare every single app that performs a similar service. There are dozens and dozens of instant messaging/chat apps for iOS devices, so stick around. We may revisit certain types of apps if something new and impressive comes down the line. If eBuddy still looks promising when that day arrives, we might just take a crack at it.
shanecbryson
July 30, 2011 at 7:27pm
I am simply stating, from what I see on the wed eBuddy could possibly be the most popular client or second most popular client of this sort so it most definitely should have been included in this review before most any of these especially since it has all this functionality and then some and is free.
artbytar
July 27, 2011 at 11:22am
Don't even get me started on just how unreliable and crappy ALL of these so-called chat apps are on a so-called "smart phones". BTW..whoever coined that ridiculous name for multifunction cell phones ought to be brought up on charges for crimes against humanity. If you want to lose friends and be accused of ignoring people, or pull what little hair you may have left dealing with digital technology these days, then by all means...chat away! Or, rather...talk to yourself in cyber space and hope that whatever you are actually trying to communicate with someone over "IM" isn't a matter of life and death.
