Xavier Lorenzo – stock.adobe.com
This is the hottest messaging app on the market — but it isn’t even available yet.
Daze, a new app catered to the young generation, is already making waves online ahead of its official launch in the coming weeks. And though it’s yet to debut, it’s already racking up over 100,000 followers on TikTok, where posts receive upwards of thousands, if not millions, of views.
Threatening to dethrone popular messaging platforms, Daze already has a waitlist of approximately 156,000 people before it becomes officially available on Nov. 4.
“Our goal with Daze has been to make a feature complete messenger that is competitive with iMessage, WhatsApp, etc., while still having a suite of really fun and creative features,” founder Willem Simons, an entrepreneur based in New York, told TechCrunch.
The interface takes a freeform approach to messaging — much like creating an Instagram Story, the app allows users to experiment with text placement, fonts and colors, instead of uniform message bubbles.
“You can quickly type a message and press send, or drag the message anywhere within the chat,” Simons said. “It is easy to use and utilitarian, but also very free and unconstrained.”
And it seems to be a hit among the tech-savvy generation, who are fawning over the app’s aesthetic on social media.
“This is the coolest thing ever,” commented one viewer.
“I’m gonna love texting on the app,” someone else said.
“IT IS OUT YET,” another excited user wrote.
Currently, the next-gen app is in beta testing with about 1,400 invite-only users, per Tech Crunch, a majority of which are Gen Z, aged 13- to 22-years-old.
The app, which has a 60-day retention rate of more than 50%, is also experimenting with AI features.
Artificial intelligence has become a hot commodity among the general public as chatbots and generative AI become integrated into everyday life, from Apple’s AI to ChatGPT.