The London-headquartered startup, LOVE is launching a messaging app to explore the ways in which people stay in touch with others. The app will allow video calling and will also support asynchronous video and audio messaging. The company claims the app to be ad-free with a focus on privacy. Features like filters, real-time transcription, and translation will be enabled on the app.
What makes the app different from others includes the company’s mission. It aims to follow the user base democratically. Usually, we see decisions regarding the apps taken by the higher officials in the corporate world. LOVE would like to change that. The company also added that in the future, the app and its governance will be handed over to its users. This may be the footsteps towards a kind of “Web 3.0”. It simply means a new level of internet development with more focus on decentralized services, user privacy, protected data, and digital transactions like a blockchain.
LOVE was co-founded by Samantha Radocchia and Christopher Schlaeffer, both of whom are proponents of the new model of internet development. Radocchia said that she joined the team because it upheld more positive values unlike, what is seen today. She was also attracted to the new business models that the company had utilized. The app will be monetized but without advertising. The officials are sure that users will be willing to pay for its services than their data being used for a not-so-transparent model of advertising.
The LOVE app will be similar to basic messenger models but will come with some interesting features. Video calls to families and friends can be made using the app. It allows one-on-one calls and also group calls that can include up to five participants. The number of participants will be increased slowly. It also has support for asynchronous audio and video messaging options. It is thus similar to WhatsApp but has different features. The video messages will be limited to 60 seconds. The video content will have a transcription feature that will transcribe the video message simultaneously as the video plays. It allows the translation of conversations into 50 different languages.
Radocchia claims that traditional messenger applications are text-based. LOVE app will be different from this approach of focusing only on the text. She adds that the users will use the keyboard less while using the app. The app interface is designed in such a way as to make the conversations more natural. It has also added new filters and is currently working with a curator from Serpentine Gallery in London to add more filters. These filters will be employed to make people more comfortable in front of a camera. As of now, this filter stains your natural appearance making it look like some kind of animation.
The company claims the app will offer end-to-end encryption. The contents will be automatically deleted after seven days except for the ones saved as “memorable moments”. LOVE app is launched on the App Store for a test run. During this time, it will add more features and will also aim to increase its user base. The Android version of the app is not out yet but is supposed to arrive later this year.
LOVE was valued at around $17 million in its pre-seed funding. It will launch its seed round this fall.
