Back in the day, Kik Messenger was one of the best messaging apps to get if you wanted something versatile. The app had cross-platform compatibility and claimed to mask your identity if you wanted to message people anonymously. However, the Kik app has since been overtaken by other third-party instant messaging apps like Messenger, iMessage, and Viber. That’s why many people want to abandon the app for good. And if you wish to jump ships, you might be asking how to delete your Kik account.
If you have the same question, you have come to the right place to find answers. We also have a guide on how to delete Kik and your account within the app permanently.
Also Read: Best Secret Messaging Apps
Inside This Article
What Is Kik Messenger?
Kik messenger is a private messaging app available on Android and iOS. It works similarly to apps like Signal or Messenger. With it, you can exchange text and multimedia messages (videos, photos, etc.) with your contacts on the app. However, what sets Kik apart from other messaging apps is how it centers itself around privacy.
Kik doesn’t ask for too many details from its users. It only requires a few credentials for you to create an account – namely, an email address, birth date, and user ID. Once you have created your account, you can use these details to register and log into the app. It’s simple and the information you give is minimal, so you’re not as easily trackable.
In addition, the app had other means of keeping your information private. For example, the app deletes your old messages by default so they won’t be traced back to you as easily. However, despite how Kik advertises itself as a privacy-centered app, it did have issues surrounding security and privacy.
Why Should You Delete Kik?
There are many reasons why people want to delete Kik and their accounts on the platform. Here are some of the most prominent reasons why someone would want to do so:
1. Privacy & Security Issues
Firstly, the “privacy-centric” app was not so private in certain aspects. For example, it didn’t have end-to-end encryption and had issues with IP logging. Hence, your data might be secure in some ways but Kik itself could have access to your personal information. These include your IP address, messages, and even physical location.
What’s worse is that Kik might not use this information just to improve its services. They could access your data and sell it to other companies. Sure, those companies might mainly use your information to market their products. Nonetheless, the security risks are high, and your data could fall into the hands of bad actors.
Even if Kik doesn’t access or sell your information, third-party hackers could. That’s because encryption is an essential layer of security that will help protect your data from getting leaked. Without it, hackers could forcibly take your account’s details with ease – including sensitive information like your IP address and location.
2. Exploitation
Kik prizes itself on the ability to let users remain anonymous. However, while anonymity has its advantages, it also has serious consequences attached to it. For example, Kik users who remain anonymous could exploit children on the app.
Of course, this is a common problem that you’ll find on any social media app. Kik is, by far, not the only platform with this kind of risk. However, what truly hits the nail on the head is the lack of evidence Kik provides. The company doesn’t easily disclose data to investigators of exploitation cases. As a result, victims of exploitation find it hard to obtain justice.
Furthermore, the app allows people to remain anonymous and doesn’t require an email address or phone number to sign up. Hence, it’s much harder for investigators to trace or verify the perpetrator’s identity. This makes the app ripe for cyberbullying, exploitation, and online scams.
3. Minimal Parental Control
Most apps nowadays have some sort of parental control features to help parents manage what their kids can access. However, Kik’s only form of parental control is an age requirement. Like other apps, this can be easily fabricated or lied about, as anyone can enter a fake birthday.
4. Transparency Concerns
While the Kik app itself runs perfectly fine, the company isn’t as transparent about its methodologies. The app’s code can’t be reviewed independently nor is it well documented. Moreover, there were no independent audits conducted on the app, so it’s not as easily trusted.
5. Alternative Messaging Apps
Finally, there are tons of alternative messaging apps on the market, and Kik certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on privacy. In fact, the app may be counterintuitive for privacy and security-centric individuals because of how it’s been built. Apps like Signal are much safer compared to Kik, so it’s better to use that if you’re focused on privacy. On the other hand, folks who want to contact as many people as they want can use Messenger or WhatsApp.
How to Delete Kik Account Permanently
If you want to delete Kik and your account permanently, you can do so through the following steps:
- Open a web browser on your desktop or laptop.
- Enter this link into the address bar.
- Enter your credentials and the reason why you want to delete your Kik account.
- Click on the checkbox.
- Press “Go!”
- Open the inbox of the email you used to register to Kik.
- Click on the “Permanently Deactivate” button and follow the instructions.
Afterward, you should have already deleted your account and will no longer be able to access it. You also shouldn’t receive any notifications or find your username within the app. However, note that after you delete Kik permanently, you won’t be able to reactivate or access your profile.
How to Delete Kik Account Without Email
Unfortunately, you cannot delete Kik accounts unless you have access to your email address. In this case, you should try to recover your email and password through your recovery email. However, if this does not work, then you should contact Kik support for questions and help.
Deactivate Kik Instead
Now, you might know how to delete Kik and your account on the platform. However, you might also be on the fence and want to hold off on deleting your account permanently. In this case, you can opt to deactivate your account. This action does not delete your account but renders it inactive. Here’s how to do it:
- Launch a browser on your desktop or laptop.
- Enter this link in the address bar.
- Input your email address in the space provided.
- Hit “Go!”
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
What Will Happen If I Deactivate or Delete My Kik Account?
Deleting an account may sound scary and intimidating if you’ve never done it before. After all, permanent deletion entails that you’ll never get your account details and data back. That’s why it’s important to understand what it means to delete Kik and your account. What will occur?
Firstly, you will be unable to access your Kik account after deleting it permanently. This means you can’t use your user ID and password to sign in to the app or website. In addition, this also means you will no longer be receiving any emails or messages from Kik. Your username will also disappear from the app’s database and will no longer be searchable.
Lastly, everything in your Kik account’s profile will be deleted. Hence, you’ll no longer have access to your contacts or messages. With that said, it’s important to note which messages are important for you to keep before you delete your Kik account.
Now, what if you don’t want to delete Kik and simply want to deactivate your account? What happens then? Well, if you choose this alternative path, know that a lot of the things deletion does will also happen. You won’t receive anything from the app – whether be it a notification or email. It will also render your username unsearchable within the app or in people’s contact lists.
However, the main difference between the two is that your account isn’t deleted forever. Your data will remain on the backend and can be reactivated anytime by simply signing back in.
Why Not Just Block Someone on Kik?
Your main reason for wanting to delete Kik and your account might be because of harassment and online bullying. However, deleting your account is a drastic step to take and isn’t always necessary in these cases. If your main issue is online bullying, you can simply choose to report the user and block them.
Of course, you should report the account holder that’s harassing you first. You can do this by sending an email to safety@kik.com. Alternatively, you can also report the user within the app and block them. To do so, just follow the given steps:
- Launch Kik.
- Go to the chat thread you had with the cyberbully.
- Tap on their username found at the top.
- Select the “More” menu (three dots icon) on the upper right.
- Tap “Block” or “Report” to do either of those actions. We recommend reporting the user first and then blocking them afterward.
- Confirm your decision.
If you want to unblock someone, you can easily do so under your privacy settings. Simply navigate to the setting and look for your Block List. There, you can click on the username of the person whose account you want to unblock.
5 Best Kik Alternatives
Here are some of the best third-party instant messaging apps to replace Kik.
1. Facebook Messenger
If you ever decide to delete Kik, you might want to get Facebook Messenger as a viable alternative. It’s incredibly popular so you shouldn’t have trouble finding your contacts on the app. Moreover, the app’s highly versatile and integrates with Facebook accounts easily. Hence, it makes the most sense to use if you’re already within Facebook’s ecosystem.
Unfortunately, unlike Kik, you need a Facebook profile to use Messenger. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to use the Facebook app to access it. However, it does mean you need to create a Facebook account before you can use Messenger.
Nonetheless, if you can get over that hurdle, Facebook Messenger has a lot to offer its users. With it, you can engage in private messages, make voice or video calls, and even send media messages. The app also has several bonus features like games, stickers, location sharing, and group chats. Moreover, it integrated Facebook’s “Stories” feature within the app. As such, you can easily see what’s going on in other people’s lives without having to use Facebook itself.
Also Read: Messenger Not Working?
2. Signal
A lot of people choose to delete Kik because of the privacy and security issues it poses. If privacy and security are your main concerns, we recommend using Signal as an alternative. It’s secure and provides end-to-end encryption so it has a layer of protection against hackers. Moreover, you can set certain messages to automatically self-destruct using the handy in-app timer.
However, Signal does fall short if we’re comparing these apps just in terms of features. This is because the app provides only basic features and doesn’t have frills or added conveniences. With it, you can chat (individually and with groups), make voice/video calls, and share files – but that’s it. You can’t find new friends or engage in more social activities like games or viewing stories. Nonetheless, if you want a free and secure alternative to Kik, it’s certainly tough to beat.
3. Telegram
Unfortunately, Telegram isn’t as popular as the other alternatives on this list. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad choice, especially if your circle of friends and acquaintances use it often. That’s because Telegram is highly versatile and provides unique features other platforms simply lack.
For example, Telegram’s chat app is more private than most because it uses end-to-end encryption. Moreover, it has handy self-destructing or timed messages that can erase themselves over time. Of course, you’ll have to access these features manually by triggering the app’s “secret conversations.”
Apart from this, Telegram has a unique set of stickers made within the app. You can even make your own and share them with friends. Lastly, the Telegram app has tons of interactive features and provides handy bots within the app. These bots can help you play games and do all kinds of things with your friends.
4. Viber
If you want to delete Kik but don’t want to leave the interface, we recommend checking out Viber. The app functions similarly so there’s less of a learning curve for Kik users. Moreover, it has a plethora of features including stickers and voice/video calls. The app can even let you place international calls without charges.
Apart from this, it has great chat features and allows you to share media, your location, GIFs, emojis, and stickers. You can also create group chats with the app if you need to talk to more than one person. Lastly, Viber is more secure than Kik and features proper encryption.
5. WhatsApp
Finally, we recommend checking out WhatsApp as an alternative if you want to delete Kik. The app boasts over 900 million users on the platform and its user base is only growing. Of course, it’s more popular in Europe and Asia than it is in the US. Nonetheless, it’s certainly a decent alternative if you want a versatile app.
With WhatsApp, you can chat with friends, send media files, make voice/video calls, and more. You can even share your location, send stickers/GIFs/emojis, and send files within the app. Lastly, the app is better in terms of security as it encrypts your messages and data.
FAQs on How to Delete Kik
The Bottom Line
The choice to delete your Kik account is a big one, but it’s not always unwarranted. After all, the app isn’t exactly as private or secure as people think it is. There are many holes in the platform and your data isn’t safe with them if you’re wary of online hackers. Moreover, the company itself doesn’t encrypt your messages and can access your information whenever they want. Hence, the decision to delete Kik and accounts on it is reasonable, especially after the app’s declining popularity.
