How To Use the Kik App on a Mac

Jamie Read more December 15, 2018

There still isn’t an official Kik app for Mac, though there is one for iOS. Granted, it isn’t reviewed very highly, but at least it has one. Windows has a Kik app and so does Android, but Mac has yet to feel the Kik love. All is not lost, though, as you can still use the Kik app on a Mac if you’re determined. You just need an emulator.

Ironically, even though there is a Kik app for iOS, the best way to get it on a Mac is to use an Android emulator that runs on Mac OS. It runs a little slow, as it isn’t a native app, but it does work. If your buddies are all on Kik, it’s the only viable option right now unless you want to be glued to your iPhone or iPad all day and night to stay in touch.

Bluestacks for Mac

Though a whole host of them exist, the emulator I tend to use is Bluestacks. It is a commercial program that has versions for both Windows and Mac. It is a very effective Android emulator that enables you to play mobile games and use apps on your computer in much the same way as you would use them on a mobile device. It costs $2 a month to continue using after the free trial but is very good at what it does. True, Kik itself is free, but Bluestacks isn’t exactly pricey, and once you have it you can use it for far more than just Kik. If you must use Kik on your Mac, this is the way to do it.

Download and install Bluestacks for Mac. The download button automatically detects your operating system and downloads the most appropriate version.
Open the app and register it.
Double click the Google Play Store on the Home screen.
Search for the Kik app and install it.

The Bluestacks desktop looks and feels a lot like an Android phone and works in much the same way. As it is a legitimate application, you can use the Google Play Store as you would if were you using an Android smartphone. You can install any app from the store and it should work on Bluestacks. Some newer games may have compatibility issues, but these are usually mentioned on the Bluestacks website and for popular apps these issues get addressed fairly quickly. For the purposes of installing Kik, everything should work fine.

Using Kik on a Mac

Once Kik is installed, you open and use it like any other app.

Double click the Kik app icon.
Select Register if you’re a new user or Log in if you already have an account.
Provide your real cell number (Kik won’t work without it).
Find your friends or join a public chat or group.

I use Bluestacks and Kik, and both work well. Bluestacks can lag at times, but aside from that it is a very credible emulator. As it is a commercial product, it is continually in development and frequently improved. As mentioned earlier, it isn’t free but it doesn’t cost much to run.

If you are a new user, you will need to enter your first and last name, create a username, a display name, provide a valid email address for a confirmation and create a good password. Then you can enter your birth date, phone number and hit Sign Up. You may or may not have to complete a Captcha.

Making friends on Kik

If you already have friends who use Kik, you’re golden. If you don’t, it’s time to find some. If you were using your phone for Kik, you could allow Address Book Matching, which scours your contacts for other Kik users and links up with them. As you are using an emulator, you won’t have any contacts, so that option does not work. We have to go out and find them, instead.

First we need to complete your Kik profile by adding an image. Navigate to Settings in Kik and select Set Photo at the top. Add any picture you like, but make it a good one. Then we are ready to go and find some friends. First let us inform people that you’re now a Kik user.

Navigate to Settings in Kik and select Share Your Profile.
Select social networks you are a member of and share your profile.

Share Your Profile lets it out into the wild and allows other Kik users to be able to see your profile. Sharing your profile over your social networks messages contacts on those other networks, letting them know your new Kik name.

To find new friends or those with common interests, you might like to join a public group. These are generally assembled by interest or location.

Select the ‘+’ button in the Kik chat window.
Select Public Groups from the popup at the bottom.
Add a hashtag followed by a keyword for a group you might like to join.

For example, you might try #soccer, #GoT, #Denver, #Metal, #DallasCowboys, or whatever you’re interested in. Just experiment until you find an active group that suits your purposes. You can also follow the same process to start your own public group or find people using the search function.

When looking for people, you can search by username, phone contacts, or by Kik Code. When you’re using an emulator you won’t have phone contacts, so searching by username is usually the most effective.

There are also a bunch of websites that can help you find people to chat with. Of course, some are better than others and some are just poor excuses for hookup sites. Some of the better ones include:

I cover more about how to find Kik friends in ‘How To Find Friends On Kik And What’s The Best Kik Friend Finder?’

If you find Kik isn’t for you, I also cover some other chat apps that might be more suitable in ‘Tired of Kik? Here are 7 alternatives you might try’. Some of these have Mac specific apps, while others will work within Bluestacks.

I have a love/hate relationship with Kik. As with anything that involves the internet and a lot of people in one digital space, sometimes it is okay. Sometimes you can find a good mix of people on there talking about all sorts of interesting stuff, and you can really engage with them. And sometimes it seems like the entire platform has been taken over by teenagers acting dumb or trying to hook up. Granted, Kik’s user base does trend towards teenagers, so keep that in mind if you decide to try it out. I hope you have more good days than bad days with it.

Do you use any other way to use the Kik app on a Mac? Tell us about it below if you do!