Swish is an Android app that aims to connect people through the medium of photography. Rather than create another sprawling social network like Instagram however, Swish takes a more whimsical approach to things. For each photo you send out to the world, to arrive on someone’s screen you get one in return and this is how Swish works. You amass a group of photos from all over the world, sort of like post cards, you can see where each photo came from on a world map, too. Not just that, but users have the opportunity to connect and chat with the person that sent you your photo. It’s an interesting concept of connecting two people that would never have otherwise met or interacted with each other all through a single photo. So, let’s take a closer look, shall we?
As with a lot of Android apps, users just need to download Swish from the Play Store.
There’s an introduction to the app, as well as a note to let users know that they don’t need to input any of their personal information if they don’t want to.
This is backed up by the only need to create a username for your profile, and nothing else.
The main screen of Swish is nice and simple, all users need to do is to choose an action, such as sharing a photo:
You can rename a photo with whatever you want to say or express with your image, and you can also edit your photo as well, to make it look a little better and so on.
You can even write a message directly on to your photo should you want to.
When you send off a photo into the world, you’ll get one in return, this is completely random and it’s sort of like a digital photo in a bottle sort of thing. I got this picture from someone in South Korea:
You can choose to chat with someone that has sent you a photo, but this will cost you either a wing (which need to be paid for when you run out) or watch an ad and get it for free.
You can also take a look at this user’s profile and the sort of photos that they’ve shared in the past, too.
One thing that’s nice about Swish is that you can take a look at the world map and see where your photos have been coming from, which is a nice touch, for sure:
Rather than try and be the next Instagram, Swish is something a little different. It’s not so much a standard social network, but instead something a little quaint and quirky. Sending off your image to the world, with no idea who or where it will end up, and getting something random in return is fun, and it takes the superficial attitude of Instagram out of the equation. This really is a small community of people looking to share photos with other people, regardless of where they are or what they’re in to, it’s all about the images with Swish, and that’s great. The app itself is simple and has a good Material Design look and feel to it, I do wish that the album chooser let me choose from specific device folders or from Google Photos but it gets the job done, that’s for sure.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – Swish works just fine and there’s no waiting around for anything to happen or things like that, it all just works.
- Features (4/5) – It might not be for everyone, but the fresh approach to sharing images and connecting with people on common ground is appealing and one that I can see a lot of people getting in to.
- Theme (4/5) – Swish features a great Material Design look and feel and has a lot going for it, and it’s nice and simple to use.
- Overall (4/5) – A quaint and fun little app, Swish is worth taking a look at, and it’s a lot of fun to experiment with. A digital message in a bottle of sorts, Swish is a nice change of pace from Instagram and Twitter.
Pros
- Nice-looking Material Design look and feel makes this a pleasant app to look at.
- Fun to see where your images end up when you send them off into the world.
- Good way of connecting to people through one overall common interest; photography.
- Free to download and use.
Cons
- Photo picker doesn’t allow you to choose from certain device folders or Google Photos.
- Donation version should include more wings to communicate with more people.
All-in-all, Swish is a lovely change of pace from the majority of different social apps out there, and I can see a lot of budding photographers as well as style-conscious people really liking this. With some room for improvement, Swish is a simple and quaint Android app that I can see a lot of people all over the world enjoying and getting in to over time.