Unless you have Touch ID or a pretty awesome password on your smartphone, chances are it's pretty easy to read your messages. So what if you have a secret or messages that you don't want anyone else to see? One answer is Blink, a messaging app that allows users to send anonymous and self-destructing messages.
Blink started out as an iOS app, but now it is finally available on Android. Blink already has 100,000 downloads and is clearly hoping to rack up a lot more now that it is available on the world's most popular operating system.
Blink was created by former Google employee Kevin Stephens and Michelle Norgan with the intent of giving mobile users a way to communicate anonymously without fear of being found out. Around 69 percent of Blink's users are registered as anonymous and 85 percent of all messages sent via Blink are sent by those anonymous users.
"We want to let people be as anonymous, disconnected, and 'off the grid' as they choose to be," said Stephens. "Whereas nearly all mobile messaging apps require a user to verify their phone number or confirm their identity in some way, the vast majority of our users prefer to remain anonymous."
Blink allows users to send pictures, drawings, standard text messages and videos. The messages only exist on the user's smartphone long enough to be read. Once the time limit has expired, the messages self-destruct, leaving no trace. It's a very handy service for those who prefer to remain anonymous.
Although at first you might think about American teenagers sending gossipy messages in class, Blink is actually quite popular with people who want to remain anonymous for more important reasons.
The app is most popular in the United States with 51 percent of its users coming from that country. However, Blink is also very popular in the Middle East with 15.4 percent of its users coming from that region. It seems that Blink is quite popular in the Middle East with ex-patriots and those who might not want their messages to be found. The Middle East is notorious for invasions of privacy and strict Internet control, so Blink is ideal for those looking for a way around the system.
Since Android is the most popular operating system in the Middle East, Blink expects to see a sizable increase in the number of users soon. The company also plans to add Arabic support for the app, which will only increase its following.
