I’ve been through a lot of chat messenger programs in my time and, looking back, none of them have been very different from the others. Usually the main difference lies in the interface and performance, but fundamentally they’re all the same. But recently I stumbled across Phonon Voice Messenger, a mobile messenger that really offers something new.
Both Android and iOS have a number of great chat messengers – like Kakao, WhatsApp, or even Viber– which are mostly used as text message replacements that can be used over WiFi without paying a cent. Yes, Phonon provides text chat functionality, but its main selling point is that it is also a voice messenger. Intrigued? You should be. Join me as I explore this awesome new messenger app.
The first thing you’ll notice is that Phonon is highly integrated with Facebook – so integrated, in fact, that you need an active Facebook account in order to use Phonon. Phonon is nothing without Facebook, so if you’re trying to avoid Facebook, then I’ll just tell you straight away that this isn’t the messenger you’re looking for.
Phonon will ask you to log in using your Facebook credentials, which you’ll have to confirm by a code that Facebook sends you (thank you, Facebook privacy). Then, Phonon will ask you for a username. Just pick one and you’ll be shown through a brief introductory slideshow tour describing all of its features and what each of the buttons mean. Honestly, it’s straightforward and that’s one reason why Phonon has a fair chance at success: it’s really easy to pick up.
So the main selling point of Phonon Voice Messenger is that it can leave messages for other users to read when it’s most convenient for them. The chat message feature is simple to figure out – it’s just like leaving a comment. You type up a message and they can read it at their leisure.
But the cooler option is to leave a voice message. By tapping one of the microphone buttons, the app enters into recording mode. In this mode, you can speak into your device like any other microphone and it’ll begin to record your message. The app lets you know how long you’ve been recording, and when you’re done all you have to do is hit the send arrow. Think of it as a voice comment. Unfortunately, there’s no way that I know of to listen to or alter your recording before submitting it.
Phonon has two other big features that are central to the app’s philosophy. First, birthday tracking. There’s a gift box icon along the top bar which has a number counter on it – the number of friends whose birthday is today. When you tap on it, a list of those friends will come up and you’ll be able to leave birthday messages for them. This is a nice touch since voice is more real and intimate than simple text.
The second feature is group messaging. Invite a bunch of your friends into a group chat and you can all leave chat and voice messages for each other. I think this is the coolest feature in this app, mostly because I don’t care all too much about Facebook status updates and photo albums. However, leaving behind voice messages for a group of friends? That’s something I could really get behind.
I have to say that I really like Phonon’s layout. It’s not the most polished or most beautiful interface I’ve ever seen, but it does do a lot of things well enough that it doesn’t feel clunky, sloppy, or cluttered. Sometimes not being bad is just as effective as being innovative.
The first big eye-catcher is the similarity of its layout to most Facebook apps on Android. There’s the traditional navigation bar at the top with Home, Contacts, and Inbox. Then you have the feed interface that shows the latest activity of your friends. The next eye-catcher is the relatively huge size of the buttons for leaving messages. I think it’s great that these buttons are so large because that’s the main focus of the app, after all. These messages can be left on status updates, photo albums, and privately user-to-user.
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