Path, the private social network for families and close friends, is jumping on the messaging bandwagon with launch of a new privacy-focused, standalone messaging software for the iPhone.
Available free in the App Store, Path Talk is basically a spin-off of Path’s in-app messenger. For starters, your message exchanges get automatically wiped out from the servers after 24 hours.
And, Path Talk has a nice Ambient Status feature that automatically lets your friends know when you’re in transit, in the neighborhood and even low on battery, possibly helping reduce some misunderstandings in online communication…
As the team said, Path’s in-app messaging has become its fastest growing feature – hence giving in-app messenger its own app.
Conversations with text, groups, photos, voice, maps, music, movies, books, video and stickers are fully supported. Another interesting feature called Quick Replies lets you nudge your friend, acknowledge the message, or start a call by holding the Send button on a message.
Key Path Talk highlights:
- Off the Record: Messages you send in Path Talk are automatically erased from our servers 24 hours after you send them, so you can now be yourself in conversations.
- Ambient Status: Path Talk can automatically tell your friends when you’re in transit, in the neighborhood, or even low on battery so your availability is always understood—removing the headache of misunderstandings in conversation.
- Message Music, Maps, and more: Easily send movies, music, books, maps, locations, and high quality photos and videos—all with a single tap.
- Quick Replies: Save time by nudging a friend or acknowledging a message directly from your message list with just a swipe.
- Handmade Stickers: We’ve hired some of the best artists in the industry to imagine and draw characters for you to use when emoji just isn’t enough.
- Voice Messaging: Quickly send and receive high quality voice messages 1-on-1 with a friend or back and forth with a group of people.
Learn more about Talk at the Path website.
The team is already working on future features like the ability to message restaurants and retail stores.
“Never wait on hold again with Place Messaging — book reservations, get prices, and check in-store availability all through text messaging in Path Talk,” reads the tease.
Moreover, removing Path’s in-app Messaging feature has allowed the team to clean up the interface and bump the app to version 4.0. It contains a brand new chooser which makes it easier to create moments and you’ll also appreciate newly added tabbed navigation to quickly access your notifications, friend list and more, from any screen in the app.
Perhaps most curiously of all, Path 4.0 has removed the 150-friend limit the social network is so famously known for, so you can now finally add as many contacts to Path as you like.
Path 4.0 for iPhone.
And lastly, the startup has announced that TalkTo is joining the Path team.
TalkTo is the pioneer in place messaging and having their team on board will allow Path to give Talk such features as the ability to send a text message to any place around you and get back a text message response in minutes.
TalkTo has spent years building software and a service team of TalkTo Agents, who work hard around the clock to get the answer to any question you ask of the places around you.
They will pick up the phone and make a call on your behalf if necessary, wait on hold, get the answer, and text it back to you. Making it possible for you to message ANY place around you on day one.
This functionality will be integrated as Place Messaging within Path Talk later this summer, the firm has confirmed.
Download Path Talk for free right now from the App Store.
iOS 7.0 or later is required.
The latest Path 4.0 update is now live, too.