The Best Mobile AppsFor Sexting

Francis Sevin looks at several of the most popular mobile apps used for sexting, including apps which offer improved privacy protection.

At a time when just about everyone now carries a mobile phone, it’s ironic that so many people prefer not to actually make phone calls. Instant messaging and text messaging have become the new standard of communication for many people since they offer both the impersonal and noncommittal features of email combined with the interactivity and immediacy of a phone conversation. As popular messaging apps have integrated more features such as photo sharing, video sharing, and live cam chat into their products, sexting has also started to become a dominant new form of flirtation and remote sexual engagement.

In a recent survey 35% of men admitted that they had participated in sexting and 56% reported that it had helped their relationships, which actually makes a lot of sense. In a healthy relationship, sexting might provide an exciting way for a couple to stay sexually connected when apart and to remain focused on each other rather than straying.

Sexting has evolved significantly during the past five years and it has also become more private. In response to the controversies generated by the unauthorized sharing of sexting images and videos (often in situations  involving two minors) software developers have come up with innovative new security features that can help to protect your privacy while still allowing you to get a little bit naughty. The more advanced instant messaging apps now allow you to send text, images, audio recordings, and video messages that can only be viewed for a specified amount of time (anywhere from 1 sec. to 2 min.) before self destructing. Some apps will even disable the screen capture function on the viewer’s phone while they are accessing your message to prevent them from taking permanent snapshots. Other apps don’t disable the screen capture function, but will notify you if it is used while someone is viewing your message. With screen capture disabled, a viewer would need to use the camera from a separate device to record what was happening on their phone screen if they wanted to try to save a permanent record of your sext message. If someone is willing to go through that much trouble to deliberately trample your boundaries, they probably aren’t someone with whom you should be sexting. This month we’ll look at some of the most popular and innovative sexting apps available for your Android or iOS device.

Kik Messenger
Available for: Android • iPhone • Windows Phone
Kik is one of the most popular instant messaging apps and it now has more than 240 million registered users. Whereas SnapChat works best with an established network, Kik is also a great way to meet new people. It connects you with friends, groups, and the whole world via chat – including informational and entertainment chat bots. You don’t need to give your phone number to sign up and approximately 40% of U.S. teenagers are reportedly using it. An in-chat browser allows you to find and share info from the web, and users can also exchange text, images, and videos with friends, strangers, or groups. In addition, all content is deleted shortly after being shared. 

SnapChat
Available for: Android • iPhone
SnapChat paved the way for many of the naughty sexting apps that have since followed by offering the first safe sexting features. Basically, SnapChat allows users to send and receive self-destructing photo and video messages taken by the app, which are called “Snaps.” Before sending, users can draw images or add text comments to a Snap, and can also choose how long it will be viewable by the recipient (1-10 seconds.) The message can only be played once and the viewer must maintain contact with the touch screen while it is playing or the message will be immediately deleted. SnapChat has been a huge hit, but it did have one big flaw: many viewers were able to take screen captures of the messages they were viewing. If that worries you, then Kik might be a safer option.

WhatsApp
Available for: Android • iPhone • Blackberry • Windows Phone • Mac/PC
WhatsApp is a cross-platform messaging app that allows you to avoid SMS fees. It supports unlimited video, voice, text, and picture messaging worldwide and also supports group chat. No self destruct features have been incorporated into WhatsApp as of yet, but it’s still a very nice and widely used app that gets the job done if you don’t need to keep your sexting activities on the downlow.