<div><em>The one-on-one chat options allows two smartphones within a 100 meter radius to bypass all telecom networks and pair directly</em><br><br><br>Indian instant messaging platform Hike launched a new feature Hike Direct on Thursday (8 October). Touted as the country's first non-data platform, this feature allows users to chat, exchange stickers, transfer photos and heavy files using a smartphone's Wi-Fi Direct feature.</div><div> </div><div>This one-on-one chat options allows two smartphones within a 100 meter radius to bypass all telecom networks and pair directly. The company's planning to launch Hike Web by next year. It is also considering connecting up to 10 people.</div><div> </div><div>Speaking at the launch, Kavin Mittal, Founder and CEO of Hike said, "Hike Direct will add a new dimension to messaging. One can get speeds up to 40 Mbit/sec when sharing files." When asked about monetization Kavin says they'll consider it after they reach the 100 million users mark.</div><div> </div><div>The new feature would be available on Hike 4.0.6 and above on Android. The iOS and Windows launch will follow next year.</div><div> </div><div>Hike has 70 million users as of September 2015. The company is seeing 100 per cent YoY growth and is India's 2nd biggest messaging app.<br><br>(BW Online Bureau)</div>
