Monkey App
Monkey App Video Call
Monkey App is a live video chat and call app that connects users with random people worldwide or nearby for brief conversations. After getting the app, users provide their name, age, gender, and phone number, which helps match them with others in similar age groups.
What is the Monkey App?
Monkey App is a free social networking and video chat app, launched in 2016 in California by teenage high-school dropouts and tech nerds, Ben Pasternak and Isaiah Turner. The pair met online and, frustrated with existing social media platforms, wanted to create something cooler and slicker that was also easier to use. People quickly became obsessed with the thrill of instant connection and the exciting interactions it offered. Monkey is designed to help users make new friends online by randomly matching them with strangers in real-time video calls. They can also join group chats and text chat with others.
The service prides itself on a hip, young crowd it attracts from around the world. Teens create their profile using general information like username, age, gender, and location. A palette of popular social media features like filters, stories, and card swiping are also available to choose from.
Popular Monkey app alternatives have emerged, so if you’re in a hurry to connect with random strangers near you or around the world. Live Video offers audio and video conferencing in addition to chat features. If you’re camera shy, Camfrog lets users pause their camera. Many apps are free, but you’ll usually have to pay to access additional features.
Is the Monkey App safe for children?
Although the Monkey app is for users aged 18 and above, it lacks a proper age verification process, making it easier for younger users to sign up.
Once registered, users are shown two main screens: one shows their chat history, private messages, and profile, and the other prompts them to start a video chat. Users can start a chat alone with a stranger or invite a friend to join, where they both chat with a stranger together.
Monkey app is a social networking app.
To start chatting, users must allow camera and microphone access. Monkey then matches users with random people to chat with. After each match, users can swipe to the next connection, learn more about the current match, or report inappropriate content.
Chats can take place via video or text, and users have the option to send gifts using in-app coins, which require real money.
Risks of Using Monkey
1. Inappropriate content
Despite Monkey’s claim to use AI and a moderation team to detect and block sexual or harmful content, explicit content is still common on the platform. This can expose users, especially children, to inappropriate content that the app may fail to filter. The app has to do this very carefully so that you can stay away from it.
2. Contact with strangers
When you come across a stranger on Monkey, you need to know them well. While some users just want to chat, others may be scammers or predators. Since you can never be sure who is on the other end of a video call, this is a significant risk.
Monkey is free to download, but it encourages in-app purchases for premium features. You don’t have to pay for this. For example, the ‘Knock Knock’ feature, which allows text-based messaging instead of random video chat, requires payment. These purchases can add up, especially if children are using the app unsupervised.
4. Privacy Concerns
Monkey collects a large amount of personal data, including names, profile pictures, dates of birth, browser information, and IP addresses. This data is shared with third parties, as stated in their privacy policy. Be very careful when sending your video calls and photos to strangers on the Monkey app and try to avoid it as much as possible. Additionally, any user-contributed content – photos, videos, or messages – may be used by Monkey or its partners for any purpose, including advertising.
5. Random Matching Risks
The biggest risk of random video chatting is that you don’t know who or what you will meet. So choose your chats and video calls wisely. Connecting with strangers can be risky, especially for children who may be targets of predators. Since users can search for others by location, there is a real risk of meeting someone in person, which can lead to dangerous situations.
6. Lack of online privacy
Once something is shared online, it can never remain private. Conversations on Monkey can be recorded or screenshot by others and used in malicious ways, including cyberbullying or harassment. You have to be careful while using Monkey App that your confidential information does not get leaked so that people do not take advantage of you. Share this information as much as possible.
Privacy and Security Settings in the Monkey App
How to change your location in Monkey
- Go to Settings on your phone.
- Select Apps and find Monkey.
- Go to Permissions and select Location.
- Tap Don’t Allow to prevent the app from using your actual location.
How to delete your Monkey account
If you’ve decided to delete your Monkey account, follow these steps:
- Tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner.
- Tap the Settings icon in the top right corner of your profile page.
- Scroll down and tap About Monkey.
- Select Delete Account.
- Confirm by tapping Delete my account.
- Type DELETE in the prompt box to confirm.
- Once your account is deleted, you can uninstall the app from your device.
It may take up to 30 days for your account to be deleted.