Yik Yak’s users are expressing their anger about the modifications being implemented on the anonymous social app, following its acquisition by Sidechat, a campus chat app with similar objectives. Yik Yak had concentrated on anonymous posting within a local community, while Sidechat is aiming to create private communities for colleges. In the beginning, Yik Yak had been urging its users to move to the Sidechat app after the acquisition was completed. However, more recently, according to Yik Yak users, the company is pursuing a different approach. Instead of forcing users to migrate, Yik Yak’s own app has undergone a significant transformation that essentially turns it into Sidechat.
As reported by Aaron Payment, a student at St. John Fisher University and a Yik Yak user, the updated Yik Yak app is now just “Sidechat reskinned.” They also pointed out that if you sign up for Sidechat, you will be able to view everything on your local Yik Yak because both apps now seem to be running on the same servers.
“Not only did they change everything good about the app, but they made it so you have to use your college email to prove that you’re in college. That way, they can easily track you and share your data for marketing purposes,” Aaron explained. Previously, Yik Yak only required a phone number for signing up.
It is uncertain whether Yik Yak intends to monitor its users or disclose their data. However, for users of an app that has previously focused on anonymity, this is a legitimate concern and is indicative of the challenges that any anonymous app would face when looking to transition. Any modifications that disrupt the app’s previous commitment to safeguarding users’ identities are bound to be met with skepticism, suspicion, and outrage.
Yik Yak’s recent updates were formally declared on its Instagram account on Thursday and were quickly met with many criticisms in the comments section, many of which garnered hundreds of likes. Apart from the users’ dislike for the updated Yik Yak, they were also annoyed that the Android version of the app was eliminated from Google Play. Yik Yak’s post, on the other hand, promised that the app’s overhaul would include new features such as images and polls, interest-based communities, and fewer bugs.
Image Credits: Yik Yak Instagram
Yik Yak recently made an announcement about its revamped app, but it failed to disclose the fundamental changes in its functionality. Previously, users were able to save multiple locations and communicate with various communities, but this feature has been eliminated in the new Yik Yak. The app now limits users to communicate only with people in their school, and the option for a five-mile radius has been removed.
A petition was started by some Yik Yak users to express their displeasure, but it has only garnered around 182 signatures, falling short of its goal of 200 signatures. Most of these signatures were obtained within the first 24 hours. Despite this, users are still expressing their complaints on Twitter and within the Yik Yak app as they encounter the updated user interface and functionality.
A group of users attempted to spam the app’s servers with GIFs and messages simultaneously to crash them, but the app managed to stay up and running.
