Best Messaging Apps For College Students

Messaging apps are useful in almost any situation. It is great for the everyday user, or business user. Whatever you use messaging apps for, it helps connect many of us with each other all over the world!

1. Apple iMessage

iMessage is the only service for iPhone, iPad, and Mac owners to talk across their apple products. iMessage is known as the benchmark of messaging services because of its ease and usefulness. It is one of those features Apple users can’t live without because it’s so easy.

Ironically, the biggest pro to this messaging app is also it’s biggest con. By being tied into the apple ecosystem exclusively, Android users and others are left out on the fun. This can be quite frustrating when you see other people with using a service that you can never be a part of if you are not an Apple user. This communication between Apple’s is understood to not transition very well into the Android or Samsung environment because of the differences between the two.

2. Facebook Messenger

Facebook has graced us with an app that lets people from all around the world talk to one another without hassle. Throughout the years, this app has changed for the better, making it easier to talk and respond to each other. Not only is there the option for communication, but for playing games with your friends as well!

It is a great app for those who don’t have a phone provider because you have the ability to call as well as text making it useful in situations where WiFi is available. This is one of those great messaging apps that allow you to communicate with almost everyone around you!

3. GroupMe

GroupMe is a great platform for team sports and huge class wide chats. Often when a coach needs to get in touch with their whole team they use groupme to send out blast messages so everyone can get in contact with each other and know the schedule. Alternatively, it’s also used for class-wide announcements and bonding. This service is great for those who don’t want to give out their phone number but need to talk to someone in their class. It is very easy to use and offers the opportunity to communicate to others within the app.

4. Google Hangouts

Hangouts is a messaging app by google. This app uses your gmail account to talk to others if you have their gmail account. This is great if you need to get in contact with somebody and have no way of texting them. You can also do video calls in hangouts which makes it a great collaboration tool when you need to meet face to face. Overall, this app is great for making quick messages about a project and can be very useful when you are in an area where there is internet and no service.

5. Slack

Slack is a great tool for college students with an internship or group projects. You can set up rooms and invite people to the server. This platform is designed for business professionals in mind. So for college students who are getting ready for the workforce it is a great tool to have and know how to use. Slack uses the internet to send messages instantaneously allowing for great collaboration in school and work. Although this is mostly used for group chats, you can also direct message people out of the group for private chats.

6. Discord

This is a new messaging app built by gamer’s in mind, but is widely expanding. Discord has voice channels, texting, and video calls. Making it a all-in-one solution for people to communicate, no matter where they are and in any way they desire. Discord is the new future, which makes it a great tool for students who are looking to hang out with friends or get some work done.

7. Snapchat

Snapchat changed the messaging game. By introducing this idea of using pictures to send a message was a mind blowing breakthrough that got people hooked. Snapchat using a combinations of filters and different types of stickers to jazz up your photos on the fly. This makes it fun and exciting to use the platform in a way that most people wouldn’t have thought. This is one of the biggest growing messaging apps on the market. Since it’s birth, recently they have added news sources and games to the platform to really get people involved with one another.

8. RCS

Rich Communication System (RCS) is the future open standard for messaging apps. It is set to replace traditional methods such as iMessage and regular texts (sms). RCS will allow people to have to have to worry about what they are using to text with because everyone will be using the same! It will work cross platforms between androids, ios, and many more. By using an open standard for implementation any developer or carrier has the option to support it. It is like iMessage for all by allowing send and read receipts, WiFi/data to text instantly, and ability to send high resolution photos and videos. Currently, RCS is only on android, but in the future, we should see it expand rapidly very soon.

9. Skype

This is one of the classic messaging apps today which allows for calling and texting for both personal and business. Although Skype has really aged, it is a great messaging app for college students. Knowing how to use Skype is key to getting a job in the real world. Without Skype starting the video chat revolution, we wouldn’t have many of the messaging apps we use today. They all have some variation of what Skype created in face to face communication. This allows for us to understand the standard in face-to-face communication over video chatting!

10. Whatsapp

Whatsapp is the largest messaging platform worldwide with 1.5 billion users throughout 180 countries. It provides worldwide access to communication allowing students from all over the globe to collaborate and build relationships. This is one of the biggest messaging apps out there allowing more people to access each other and learn more because of it!