By Adedapo Adesanya
Opera has announced the launch of its dedicated chat service, Hype, built into the Opera Mini mobile web browser, in Nigeria.
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.
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.
The feature was developed 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.
Speaking on the expansion, Mr Jørgen Arnesen, EVP Mobile Browsers at Opera said, “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, Nigerians can enjoy a browsing and chatting ecosystem tailored to their needs.
“Hype bridges cultures from Sub-Saharan Africa with mobile technology, as the world’s first African-inspired chat service.”
The service was first launched in 2021 in Kenya as a pilot market and it is already showing impressive results with more than 400,000 activations and more than 10,000 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.
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 Nigeria, Opera has partnered with the leading carriers in Nigeria to enable free daily browsing and chatting for those using the service.
Users of Opera Mini and Airtel, MTN and Globacom can activate a free N1.5 GB data anytime by opening the Feedback Bot in Hype, sending Unlock my free data in chat, then by clicking the link in the reply message. The free mobile data will be activated when the page is loaded.
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. Moreover, users can join interest-based channels Hype Clubs to chat with those who are on the same wavelength.
Hype Clubs are organized into topic-based channels where users can easily chat about their mutual interests. If a user is into something, there is a good chance they can find a Club for it. There they can share opinions with others, or even create their own Club and gather interested people together.
Chatting with others who have the same interests is a great way to find new friends and become a part of an interest-based community. With Hype Clubs, fans of sports, gaming, the arts, and even software development are now able to find a community they can truly belong to.
The app also has a built-in meme creator which is directly into a browser’s messenger. Users can choose memes in Hype chat, then edit them by changing the text and experimenting with fonts, colours 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.
Hype also 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 views are also available.
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.
To make this easier, Hype included 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 colours, text and emojis, making it fun and entertaining before sharing it 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.
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 Okolo Chibuike and Mayowa Alabi from Nigeria.
The sticker packs have been designed to include everyday expressions currently popular in Nigeria. This unique offer from Hype stands out from other chat services and gives Nigerians new ways of expressing themselves more accurately when using chat apps.
Aduragbemi Omiyale