They say that once a word is spoken, you cannot take it back. But not anymore.
If you’re using Strings, you can delete any messages, photos and videos once they are sent, with no trace whatsoever.
Edward Balassanian, founder of Seattle based Be Labs, which created Strings, believes it’s high time users pulled all strings related to the texting apps they use. He says, “With the privacy issues plaguing existing messaging apps, email and texting, it's time we had a messaging app that gives us complete control of our conversations.”
So how does Strings give you control?
With a huge caveat that this feature only works with other Strings users, you start by picking who can view your content and who can’t. Instead of having conversation threads with friends, you create strings which can be terminated at any given time. Creating strings gives you the option to have several conversations with the same contact. This means you can have different strings for different topics.
The key feature remains giving users selective control of keeping or deleting shared content. Once you choose to delete a message or a picture, it is immediately and permanently deleted from your device and all the devices it was shared with, without having to delete the entire conversation. This applies to a wide range of content, from text to pictures to contact information to lengthy videos and even emails.
"The challenge with ephemeral messaging apps is that they treat all content like it’s created equally, but we shouldn't have to delete everything in order to delete some things," Balassanian told Huffington Post . "Rather than trying to make content disappear, we sought to give users control so they would feel confident and comfortable to share what they want with who they want, in any way that they want."
And because the app creators wanted to keep the balance between sharing fun, memorable content with your friends, yet keeping privacy matters under control, it includes a feature which obliges friends to ask for permission before saving a photo you shared to their devices.
What if you say decline their request? Maybe they’ll save a screenshot? No, they won’t.
"Friends can download content you share, but only if you approve," Balassanian explains . "Screenshots are detected and users are banned after violating this three times. And of course, you can delete a string you create if, and when, you choose to and it will be deleted everywhere. From start to finish, users control their conversations on Strings."
Strings joins a market that seems to be growing exponentially. From Ansa to Cluster to Designated Dialer and now Strings, people who may have had one too many drinks or are going through a tough breakup may have a shot at containing and minimizing the damage that can occur on messaging apps.
“Strings launched in October and has seen significant engagement with initial testers. During the three-month beta period, app sessions increased 700 percent, new conversations increased 600 percent, and in-app comments increased by 1200 percent,” said Balassanian.
The app is currently available only for iOS, with news about an upgraded version soon to be releasing in mid-January. Sorry, Android users, for we haven’t heard word so far about an Android version.