Korean messenger KakaoTalk is coming to Russia: brand registration application filed with Rospatent
A new major player is emerging in the Russian messenger market. The South Korean corporation Kakao Corp has filed an official application with Rospatent to register the KakaoTalk brand.
Due to regular disruptions and slowdowns of Telegram, users from Russia began actively searching for alternatives and stumbled upon the Asian application. According to analysts, during the spring of this year alone, the number of active Russian KakaoTalk users jumped by 82%.
What is KakaoTalk
In South Korea, KakaoTalk is not just another messaging app, but a true national application installed by 97% of the country's population. In its structure and feature set, the messenger is more like the Chinese WeChat, but it also has a lot in common with the Telegram we are used to. Inside, there are channels, group chats, free calls, and its own internal marketplace.
Pros and cons of KakaoTalk
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Pros |
Cons |
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Available in Google Play and App Store, works without a VPN |
In some places, the Russian translation is clunky, and typos can be found |
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The interface is translated into Russian |
No ability to log into one account from multiple devices — the system resets the session on the old gadget when logging in from a new one |
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On the market since 2010, has a massive server base |
Chat designs and the abundance of cartoonish Asian stickers may seem unusual |
Brand registration with Rospatent indicates that Korean developers have noticed the trend and do not want to lose the sudden influx of traffic from CIS countries. For users, this is good news: in case of complete blocks of familiar messengers, a working Korean app will be right at hand.
