Hike launches web platform of its messaging app

After crossing one million weekly active users, home-grown tech start-up Hike on Thursday launched the web version of its app Hike Sticker Chat, which will enable its users to chat over their personal computers as well.

"Hike Sticker Chat has crossed 1 million weekly active users. We are now unbundling our app. Instead of focussing on just app, we are also going to multiple (platforms). This week, we have started rolling out Hike on the web. It can be used even if the user's phone is switch off," founder and Chief Executive Officer Kavin Bharti Mittal said.

He said that while working on desktop or laptop, people do not want to keep looking at their phone. "With web application, we are making it convenient for them to engage with their friends.".

The company has also started rolling out auto-backup of users' data.

"People change their phone more often, there is massive tediousness around back-up. We needed to resolve it once and for all because data is so cheap. Everybody wants back-up. Those who don't want to have back-up can choose not to have back-up," Mittal said.

To push adoption of the Hike Sticker Chat app, the company is also working on a feature to allow sharing of stickers across all messaging platforms.

Hike Sticker Chat has over 40,000 stickers available in more than 40 Indian languages and dialects. It expects to have over 1 lakh stickers across languages by the end of the year, with an aim to cover a larger percentage of every major Indian language's vocabulary.

An average user of Hike spends 33 minutes on the app with over 55 million stickers being exchanged weekly, Mittal said.

Founded by Mittal, Hike is backed by SoftBank, Tiger Global, Tencent, Foxconn and Bharti.