Do smartphone users need yet another instant messaging app? Disney seems to think so. Namely, the entertainment company has recently launched its very own messaging app titled Disney Mix. The developers tried to differentiate their product from their competitors by putting a big family-friendly twist on it. More specifically, Disney claims this is the safest, funniest, and most playful IM app there is. Apart from regular messaging features, Disney Mix also boasts a rather intuitive meme creator, some simple mini-games, and a bunch of moderation tools that parents can use to modify their kids’ user experience. The app is consequently deemed fit for children as young as four and is marked as such on Google Play Store.
Disney Mix also reminds its users to stay safe, be wary of strangers online, and keep their communication clean. These reminders pop out each time you log into the app but are relatively unobtrusive. The app’s core functionality works well and is ennobled by a whole bunch of chat stickers from most of Disney’s famous franchises. Disney Mix also gives their users a simple way of creating custom cartoonish avatars that represent them in chat and in-app games. Developers revealed that they’re also working on more games and multimedia-sharing features that will be included in Disney Mix in the near future. The mobile messenger also has an integrated “Whistle” feature used to call up an adult moderator into the chat. While announcing its latest app, Disney’s representatives called all parents to send feedback if they have an idea of how to make the app even more secure and family-friendly.
All in all, it remains to be seen how appealing Disney Mix will be to people already using a plethora of other available IM solutions like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Viber. Disney’s apparently counting on parents to install the app on their kids’ phones themselves but time will tell how successful that strategy will be. Right now, the app has managed to amass around 40,000 downloads in a few days’ time. That isn’t bad but also isn’t particularly impressive for a company as big as Disney and a target audience as big as everyone with a child and two smartphones. In any case, if you aren’t looking for a new messaging app but are still a huge Disney fan, consider downloading some of the numerous Disney Android games.
