KaKao

[Press Release - Korea] 

Kakao Offers Next Generation Features through New Kakao Lab

 

[Seoul, Korea - June 23^rd, 2014] Android users can beta test the messaging app’s latest innovations following today’s Android v4.5.0 update for KakaoTalk

 

Kakao continues its user-oriented approach to mobile innovation by launching Kakao Lab on the Android version of its popular messaging service, KakaoTalk. Following the Android v4.5.0 update on June 23^rd, users will be able to access Kakao Lab through the Other menu in their KakaoTalk Settings and take part in testing out exciting new features designed by Kakao’s top developers.

 

Kakao Lab is another example of Kakao’s continued dedication to providing the most enjoyable and user-friendly mobile experience possible. The features available in Kakao Lab will be fine-tuned based on user response, with the possibility of becoming a permanent feature in the near future. Much like the 100 User-Suggested Improvements campaign the company carried out in Korea in 2011, Kakao Lab is expected to enrich KakaoTalk users with truly tangible benefits.

 

Two prototype features released with the launch are Keyword Alerts and Move Unread Chatrooms to Top, both of which can be turned on in the Kakao Lab menu. Keyword Alerts is ideal for users that wish to disable New Group Chat Alerts and only receive notifications for messages that are of particular interest to them. Users can register up to 10 keywords and are alerted only when a message includes any of those specific terms. The keywords can include up to 20 letters, and does not apply to the message sender’s username. However, ‘Keyword Alerts’ does not send push notifications when Message Alerts is disabled or during user-set Do Not Disturb periods.

 

Move Unread Chatrooms to Top, as the name suggests, moves all chatrooms with unread messages to the top of the Chats screen, so users can always keep track of any and all new messages. Once the feature is turned on, the unread chatrooms will move to the top, with the room containing the most recent message appearing first. Once a message is read, the chatroom is placed under the oldest unread chatroom, and next chat with the newest message moves to the top of list.

 

Although the features in Kakao Lab are experimental and may be removed at any time, full implementation, as well as modifications, will be based on user response. An iOS version of Kakao Lab is currently in the works, and is expected to offer never-before-seen KakaoTalk innovations designed exclusively for iOS users.

 

In addition to experiencing the latest innovations through Kakao Lab, KakaoTalk users that install the Android v4.5.0 update will have access to Chat Search, which was previously only available on KakaoTalk for Windows. Users can now search specific keywords in individual chatrooms via the magnifying-glass icon on the upper right-hand corner, and use the up/down arrow to view the search results in their chat history. Also included in the update is full Arabic language support, making it the 15^th language supported within KakaoTalk.

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Image 1: Kakao Lab Menu

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Image 2: Kakao Lab – Move Unread Chatrooms to Top feature

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