Upon first glance, I wasn’t sure what to think of the new app MediaChitter. In fact, I wasn’t really clear on what the app even did. That’s not a great start for a new service.
I hate registering for apps, especially when I don’t know what they do, so I loved the fact that I was able to see what MediaChitter is all about (it’s centered on group messaging), without providing any information by choosing the Silent Sign-in option. The app creates an account that you can supplement with your email or Facebook account later on.
Through MediaChitter, users can form groups of contacts, such as friends, family, co-workers, etc., called Circles that allow you to easily control which of your contacts sees what part of your created content. MediaChitter lets users create rich media messages that can include a combination of voice tags, photos, location check-ins, links or just plain text. While I found the overall interface of MediaChitter to be slightly confusing (probably because I don’t know anyone using the app), I found creating messages and adding rich media to be a particularly slick process. I was able to send myself a test that featured a photo with a voice tag, my location with a note and a sentence of text, all in one message, without any problems.
If MediaChitter were actually free, I could see families or niche groups finding a use for its features, but it’s not—users instead get a three-month free trial. After three months, use can continue, but only in a limited capacity (no support for sending voice messages). If you want full access to MediaChitter, you’ll need to purchase an ad-free in-app package: one month for 99 cents, three months for $1.99 or six months for $3.99.
Because MediaChitter uses only the MediaChitter network, you can only send messages to other MediaChitter account holders. The need to create yet another social network coupled with the cost of MediaChitter down the line, makes me doubtful that this app will build a following. But, the inclusion of a Silent Sign-in, the three-month free trial and that MediaChitter is a free download brings no jeopardy to taking a look.
