OSLO, Norway, June 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Opera
(NASDAQ: OPRA) has announced the launch of its dedicated chat
service Hype, built into the Opera Mini mobile web browser, in
South Africa, Zambia and Ghana. With the introduction of Hype, Opera is
redefining the concept of mobile browsers, providing users with a
personalized, engaging browsing experience that enables seamless
chatting, surfing and sharing – without compromising speed or
driving increased data consumption.
Browsing and chatting, all in one app
Hype is the first African-inspired chat service built into a
mobile browser, allowing users to easily set up an account and
start chatting with secure end-to-end encryption right away. This
means users can now browse the web, chat with friends, and share
self-created memes, stickers and GIFs with other Hype users, all in
one app.
Hype was built because younger generations of internet users are
expecting more social connectivity from the apps they use on their
devices. With this integration, Opera Mini becomes the first major
browser in the world to integrate a social component that keeps
users connected to the ones that matter the most. This unique and
innovative blend is something that no other mobile browser in the
Google Play Store offers.
"Hype is an original instant messaging service from Opera,
designed for the new generation of African internet users to
elevate the traditional browsing experience and make it more
engaging. With Opera Mini and a Hype account, Africans can enjoy a
browsing and chatting ecosystem tailored to their needs," said
Jørgen Arnesen, EVP Mobile Browsers at Opera. "Hype bridges
cultures from Sub-Saharan Africa with mobile technology, as the
world's first African-inspired chat service."
Hype was first launched in 2021 in Kenya as a pilot market, and it is already
showing impressive results with more than 400k activations and more than 10k invites to join Hype per day. This launch was
one facet of Opera's emphasis on investing and growing its digital
ecosystem in Africa, with the goal
of bringing more people online.
Free chatting with Hype
To help familiarize people with the concept of an easy-to-use
chatting service built into a browser and as a response to the high
cost of data in Sub-Saharan Africa, Opera has partnered with the
leading carriers in South Africa,
Zambia and Ghana. Users of Opera Mini and CELL C in
South Africa, MTN in Zambia and Vodafone or MTN in Ghana can activate the free data anytime by
opening the Feedback Bot in Hype, sending "Unlock my free data" in
chat, then clicking the link in the reply message. The free mobile
data will be activated when the page is loaded.
Key features
Opera is constantly working on improving the chatting
experience. Hype users can now use link previews, GIF support, and
the unique built-in meme creator to make chatting with friends even
more personal and fun.
The built-in meme creator
Memes are an essential part of internet culture. People not only
use existing memes, but also wish to create and spread their own.
Now, Opera has introduced the first meme creator built directly
into a browser's messenger! Users can choose memes in Hype chat,
then edit them by changing the text and experimenting with fonts,
colors and placement – more easily than ever. This comes in handy
as users no longer need to copy links from websites and switch
between apps to share the memes they want.
GIF support in chat
Hype supports GIFs, and makes choosing them super simple with
its search capabilities and scrollable GIF grid. To help users
choose the one they want, GIF previews and full screen view are
also available.
Link previews
It's always good to know what's hiding behind a link we've sent
or received, which is why Hype comes with the link preview feature.
With it, a snapshot preview, website header and description will
automatically appear in chat. This function is also available in
encrypted chats and on metered networks.
Share online content in a snap
Today, new generations are relying on formats like memes and
stickers to express themselves. To make this easier, Hype includes
WebSnap, a feature already known from the Opera desktop browser,
allowing users to take snapshots from the web. Once a websnap is
captured, users can edit it by adding colors, text and emojis,
making it fun and entertaining before sharing with others. WebSnap
also allows users to smoothly share the link of the original
website from which they took their snaps, so users no longer need
to switch between apps to share the content they want.
First African inspired chat service in the world
Hype is the first African inspired chat service built into a
mobile browser. It offers its users a series of stickers created by
African artists such as Musonda
Kabwe from South Africa and
Jonathan Agyei-Peprah from
Ghana. The sticker packs have been
designed to include everyday expressions currently popular in
Sub-Saharan Africa. This unique offer from Hype stands out from
other chat services and gives Africans the new ways of expressing
themselves more accurately when using chat apps.
Hype account setup
To activate the Hype account, users should have an Opera
Mini application. Users set up a Hype account by tapping the
Hype logo at the bottom of the Opera Mini browser, or through the O
menu. Next they choose their name and take a selfie or upload a
personalised photo, which will become their profile picture and
will be visible for other Hype users. Once this process is
completed, users sync Hype with their phone contact list to start
chatting with others.
About Opera Mini
Launched in 2006, Opera Mini is a small, fast and powerful
browser. It comes with unique features such as Data Compression,
Offline File Sharing, and a built-in Ad-blocker. Today, Opera Mini
is used by more than 170 million people who chose it over the
pre-installed browsers on Android mobile devices. Opera Mini has a
4.3 star rating on Google Play and has been reviewed by more than
seven million people worldwide.
About Opera
Opera is a leading global web innovator with an engaged and
growing base of hundreds of millions of monthly active users.
Building on over 25 years of innovation that started with browser
products, Opera is increasingly leveraging its brand as well as its
massive and highly active user base in order to expand its
offerings and business. Today, Opera offers users around the world
a range of products and services that include PC and mobile
browsers, the AI-powered newsreader Opera News, and recently
launched fintech and classifieds apps. Opera is headquartered in
Oslo, Norway and listed on the
NASDAQ stock exchange (OPRA).
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SOURCE Opera Limited