The KNKI app claims to be the first BDSM dating app to give you full social media capabilities but does it deliver on these claims? We find out.
The KNKI app is definitely clean and sleek, but it's also not particularly exciting either. The predominant colour is grey with small pops of purple. It's easy on the eye but not memorable.
Laid out with all your actions in one simple top bar, the app is then made up of small square images that make it look a bit like Instagram. It's very modern looking and keeps the writing down to a minimum.
Sign up is super simple; all you need is an email address, username and password. You then choose your gender, which is quite binary, but you can select 'other' if you don't identify as male or female. There are a few different sexual orientations to choose from, and you can pick your lifestyle role, though the list is very brief. I couldn't find a descriptor that I felt worked for me, though. I had to pick one that was relatively close.
When you've signed up, you're encouraged to add a photo and edit your profile. As this is all people see when browsing, it's important to add a photo and some information about yourself as soon as possible to get the best use out of the KNKI app.
To communicate with others, you click on their profile picture to get various options to send a message or a shout out (a one-word emoticon saying things like cute and hot) or unlock your private photos for them. You can't upload explicit images to your profile, but you can send them to others via private messages. All the actions are pretty instinctual, and I found it generally easy to move around the site and see what I needed.
The KNKI app does allow you to follow other profiles you find interesting, this then shows up their photos in your feed. It's the closest you get to a community feel though as there is no capacity for group chats, no community forums or other ways to communicate with the other kinksters on the app as a group.
Communication is between individuals only, making the KNKI app clearly all about dating and hooking up. So if that's what you're looking for and you're a fan of picture based dating sites, this might just be for you.
It quickly becomes evident that there are many more male profiles than female ones but not only this, lots of profiles have photos that are of celebrities or general images anyone could find on the internet, which throws up some questions as to the authenticity of all the users.
Most of the users list their age as under thirty; there are few users older than that. The KNKI app is aimed at a social media using generation, which explains the number of users in the twenties utilizing the kinky dating app.
Users are spread out all over the globe, so you may struggle to find someone locally. However, if you're looking to connect with international kinksters, you can do this easily with the KNKI app. It even has a global button so you can see profiles of people from the world over.
KNKI - a kinky dating app!
Sign up to the KNKI app is free, and you can then use it pretty effectively. There aren't loads of pop-ups and ads pushing you to upgrade either, which is refreshing. Although I did get the message to upgrade when I was browsing profiles, as you can't see all of them without paying. You can upgrade for $9.99 a month or $89.99 for the year.
The benefits are:
It worries me that there are limits on how many users you can block without upgrading. As a female user of dating sites, I use the block feature a lot. I think it's a basic function needed for safety and it shouldn't be charged for. If you're not likely to use the block feature much, this might not be an issue for you.
It's not apparent at first look where to find the FAQ list. It's well hidden away. You need to click through to settings, then into support and information and you will see the Tips/FAQ heading there. Many of your practical questions will be answered with the FAQ, and you can also see the photo guidelines and terms of service too. If you can't find the information you need, you can email support too with a simple click.
If you're looking for a simple to use, kinky dating app, KNKI might fit the bill. It works a little like a kinky Instagram, and you can connect with other users with just a few clicks. This app is definitely for you if you're a big fan of photo-based social media, and you can use most of the features without having to pay. Worth a try, especially if you're looking to connect with people the world over.
This article was originally published on 30th June 2016 and was updated on 18th March 2020.
Do you have the KNKI app? Do you agree with our KNKI review? Spanks for reading!
Cover image released from Shutterstock.com
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