imo messenger

What is the imo messenger App?

Description: Encrypted, high-quality video and voice calls, encrypted group video with up to six participants. FREE and unlimited encrypted messages and video and voice calls over data or WiFi connections. In other words, avoid SMS (texting) and phone call charges. Oh, and there’s stickers for our conversations! imo messenger can also be used on Mac and PC laptops, in addition to iOS and Android smart devices. 

Company website: there really isn’t one, which is strange. There’s the download page above. The imo app is owned by a privately-help company called Baby Penguin, LLC, but Google can’t track them down. Here’s the download page instead, because imo isn’t just for mobile devices – there’s a PC version, too.

Category: Social Networking

APP Store rating: 4+ (the App Store’s lowest rating). Since the app is categorized as “social media,” it doesn’t make any sense that Apple would blatantly encourage use by kids less than the COPPA standard. 

What parents need to know about imo messenger: 

Encryption makes it attractive. We are a privacy-sensitive bunch right now. The fact that imo encrypts everything is settling for some.

It does have a paid version. For just $0.99/month, users can eliminate ads, get cloud storage space, “and more coming soon” (their words).

Live video. Enough said.

Seems to be mostly used in international circles right now. This is an unscientific conclusion judging from the types and quantities of non-Americans in the live video feeds speaking Arabic or Spanish is some cases.

It looks difficult for strangers to drop in. This has been the critique (stronger in the past) with apps like House Party, which allows too many random people to join group chats.

The bottom line – is imo messenger safe?  

Eeeehhh. There’s not much to get excited about. None of it is new. There are a few risky spots, but kids can get into much more trouble in many other digital places. The app store says 4+ but for anything that allows live streaming, we can’t condone anything younger than 8th grade, which would be at least 13. After all, it is social media – 13 is the minimum anyway!

I believe this particular app will likely have a short life-span. It feels too redundant.

Now what? Have you heard of Bark?

Are you interested in having greater insight into the social media platforms that your kids are using? Bark is one of the best platforms we’ve tested. If your kid is using social media, then they need Bark. We trust them and we think you should, too!

[Click here or the logo above to learn more – free to begin!]

*There may be affiliate links throughout this post because we’ve tested and trust a small list of parental control solutions. Our work saves you time! If you decide that you agree with us, then we may earn a small commission, which does nothing to your price. Enjoy!