Never before in human history have we had so many ways to communicate, we’ve got SMS messaging, voice calls, video calling, instant messaging, e-mails and the list just goes on. What’s wrong with all of these? Well, nothing really but, apart from Video Calling none of the methods we use today are very natural. WhatsDraw! however, is different, it encourages us to get back to something very free an unconstrained, drawing. The developer behind the popular “Draw!” app, which you can find here has bought a solution to boring text stuffs, WhatsDraw! Messenger. Read on to find out how the app works and why you might be interested.
Description: While other Android messaging apps offer little more than the usual text based send and reply, WhatsDraw! Messenger is different. You have all of your phone screen to draw a picture to send to a friend. This way, you have full control over what you are going to say and how you say it, it could be a picture or you could have handwritten a message. If you and your friends are particularly good at drawing then this app could be just what you were looking for!
How It Works: Setting up WhatsDraw! is as easy as pretty much any other messaging application. Once you’ve got the app installed from the Play Store you can load it up and sync your contacts – friends or family in your address book that already have the app installed will automatically be added to your contacts within the app. Know some friends who you’d like to get into WhatsDraw! but don’t have it? You can easily send these people an e-mail from within the app. Once contacts have been loaded into the app you can open a conversation like any other messenger. Sometimes these messages will be between two of you or as a group, perfect for a close friend group.
Here, however, is where things start to get a little different. You’ll not see a keyboard pop up here and there’s no text box either. That’s right, it’s a blank canvas. You’re presented with a white background to start drawing your message on, once here you can choose from two different pens. Selecting a pen, then selecting again will give you access to a full colour wheel. To change the default background colours, access Settings from the main menu.
Once you’ve drawn your message all that’s left to do is to send it! That’s it, all done! The app is free to purchase and the first 6 months are free, after this trial period ends it’s only $1.68 per year to use the service.
Opinion: I’m a big fan of the capacitive stylus, I realize that my fingers are better suited for today’s screen but, the tactility of a stylus is sometimes too hard to give up. With WhatsDraw! I find yet another use for a stylus and an outlet for some creativity. Whilst I’m not a good drawer at all, my girlfriend is so I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of fun sending her good drawings and my poor drawings back and forth. It’s also going to come in handy with a number of my friends who are poor with text messaging so, something different like this might be more effective at getting the message across! I’m going to stick with the app for a while to come and I’m sure I’ll have fun with it.
WhatsDraw! is also perfect for sending quick snippets of information to people without being abrupt in a text message. It might just be me but an abrupt text message seems a little rude, a small written note on the other hand seems okay. I can imagine this being useful for quick little notes like “I’ll be home in twenty” or “meet you there”, those sorts of things.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – The app loads well and tracking of fingers and styli alike is good.
- Features (4/5) – WhatsDraw! carries one headlining feature and it does this well, what more can you ask?
- Theme (5/5) – There really isn’t a theme here because, it’s what you make of it with your drawings and messages.
- Overall (4/4) – WhatsDraw! is a solid app that will only improve over time.
Pros
- The idea is both unique and fresh, with the Galaxy Note line taking off, the stylus is certainly taking off.
- Lots of options for background and colours, making your messages truly yours.
- Flexibility and freedom are choice here making the app really fun
Cons
- I’d like to see tablet apps for the Nexus 7 and others, more space means better pictures.
- The app can take some time adding contacts.
Conclusion: Overall, I think WhatsDraw! is definitely a type of application that if you don’t take to using it then you won’t get on overly well with it. If you do take to the app however, and get your friends involved as well then you’re going to have a lot of fun. Let’s not forget that for some people it’ll be a lot easier for people to express themselves in a little image than it might be in a text message or an e-mail. It’s worth noting that this a new app and as such, you might find some little niggles but, the developer is open to support queries and the app is only going to get better. You’ll have a lot of fun using WhatsDraw! and I implore to give you app a go! You can find WhatsDraw in the Play Store here.
