a free, cross-platform app more suited for group-chat, and allowing PC sync & use

[GhorMaanas]

[Solved!] x-pfm (incldng Win PC) apps for grp-chat, or/and using whatsapp on ph. & pc simultaneously

Hello!

am in need of an app for android, that:

- lets me create a particular group, name the group and/or tweak settings for the group

- can be accessed from PC too (Win 8.1), so that if am on my PC, i can get notifications for any incoming msg in the grp on my PC too, and can post a msg from the PC itself

- allows multimedia transfer

- can be made private (ie, access allowed only on request, or password), though not critical

can anyone please suggest an app to these purposes?

thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

ok, i spotted some apps. line, viber & talkto. let me try them.

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Solution for using whatsapp simultaneously on phone & PC, plus, remotely controlling your phone (using wifi) --> *www.digit.in/forum/tutorials/18784...one-use-whatsapp-phone-pc-simultaneously.html

 

[sling-shot]

Telegram is almost a clone of WhatsApp with the additional functionality of having PC based client.

It does not have that invite only access though.

The group membership is always decided by admin only.

 

[Vyom]

Being using Telegram since quite a few months. Just because of it being cross platform. On Android it have some issues like if the app doesn't get internet connection, it seems to lag, but PC client works flawlessly. Chats are sync between mobile and PC, making it easier to switch between the too.
Try it for sure.

 

[GhorMaanas]

Re: a free, cross-platform app more suited for group-chat, and allowing PC sync & use

Thanks! I tried all, like line, viber, talk.to, telegram, and 1 or 2 more, and landed back on whatsapp like a fool, simply because a member of the group i have created doesn't want to download and keep running another app to eat his phone's battery, apart from whatsapp. -_-

but the bottomline is, all of the above-mentioned apps are good, allow creating a group-title, allow editing, have PC counterparts, and sync chats between PC and the phone almost instantly. might use any of them in the near future if reqd.

 

[sling-shot]

Re: a free, cross-platform app more suited for group-chat, and allowing PC sync & use

Thanks! I tried all, like line, viber, talk.to, telegram, and 1 or 2 more, and landed back on whatsapp like a fool, simply because a member of the group i have created doesn't want to download and keep running another app to eat his phone's battery, apart from whatsapp. -_-

but the bottomline is, all of the above-mentioned apps are good, allow creating a group-title, allow editing, have PC counterparts, and sync chats between PC and the phone almost instantly. might use any of them in the near future if reqd.

In my experience people are gradually trying out Telegram. It being closest to WhatsApp in user interface is definitely in favour.

I have installed such clients but just use Greenify to hibernate them except WhatsApp. This way only WhatsApp is actually always running but the others are still available to be checked up once in a while.

 

[GhorMaanas]

yes, telegram is in the likeness of whatsapp. initially i also had this idea when i started using greenify 3-4 days back, but then left it at that. i will ask him once about this. but won't use telegram, as want to have an app dedicated only to the group chat, with no other person in my contacts being present on that app to disturb with silly messages, and on telegram, i saw some contacts of mine were present there, and one of them wasted no time in making his stupid presence felt when he saw me on TG. will either use line or talk.to. line's PC UI is very fluid and good-looking (viber's too), talk.to's is minimal sort of, but the latter allows you to chat even with those who don't have talk.to installed on their phones. the msg would go to their cells via sms, and they could reply back on whatsapp, or through sms itself; but i would want the group-members to have the app which am using, so that the flow of discussion is maintained.

 

[harshilsharma63]

You can also create an IRC channel and use any app to access it.

 

[GhorMaanas]

You can also create an IRC channel and use any app to access it.

thanks for the suggestion! though i've never been on an IRC channel, and look-up the 'whats' and the 'hows' about it, but i presume something like AndroIRC would do? that is, can be connected to from an Android as well as a PC?

 

[harshilsharma63]

IRC is like a custom chat service; once you create a channel, you can connect to it from any platform using any IRC client. You can also connect to existing channels on various servers. Though creating a channel and managing may be a bit complicated in the beginning.

 

[Vyom]

You can also connect to existing channels on various servers. Though creating a channel and managing may [STRIKE]be[/STRIKE] seem a bit complicated in the beginning.

Fixed.

 

[GhorMaanas]

hello all!

glad to tell you that finally i've found a solution (infact, more than one)!

the solution is --> remote-operation from a PC.

used some apps, and this is what i found:

1. remoteroid - a free VNC type app. the snappiest of all i used! the resolution of the phone-replica on the pc is low than the others, but it isn't any handicap in any way whatsoever!
2. teamviewer quicksupport - with teamviewer installed on pc and quicksupport app on the phone, its just like remoteroid, albeit, slightly, very slightly laggy (but the resolution is crisp!).
3. any free VNC server app on the cell, and any free VNC viewer software on the PC - my preference(s) --> tightVNC/tigerVNC. laggier than the two above, but nothing bothersome. apt for my need!
4. webkey - if one wants to have more options in remote-controlling the phone, this is THE thing! operates from a web UI, and gives you a lot of options to tinker with (more than some other such apps like airdroid, reach, etc.).

these 4 now happen to be my choicest!

 

[Vyom]

Really? You came to a conclusion that "remote operating" PC is "Best" than simply using a Cross Platform application like Telegram?
Also, isn't your PC needs to be switched on and logged in, for you to access it remotely?

 

[GhorMaanas]

Really? You came to a conclusion that "remote operating" PC is "Best" than simply using a Cross Platform application like Telegram?
Also, isn't your PC needs to be switched on and logged in, for you to access it remotely?

exactly! for my purpose, this is the best solution i've found. telegram and such apps, as well as the need to turn the pc on, these things don't factor in for what i need(ed) this solution.

P.S. - sorry, forgot to add in the above post of mine, that i needed to use (solely) whatsapp on my phone as well as on my pc simultaneously, and the above is what i found apt for that purpose (group-members wouldn't install any other app aside from whatsapp, citing battery-woes, so i decided to 'carve' an alternate way out for myself ).
LOL. defeated the title & purpose of this thread. going to change it now.

 

[Vyom]

Its good that you have found your solution. I have used Virtual Machines with Android loaded on it to chat through Whatsapp, when I use to be online from PC. But it had tremendous problems. For eg, Whatsapp remained active on only one device at a time. Hence I had to reactivate it on mobile when I was done chatting on PC. And vice versa.
Then it was the trouble of maintaining history. Chat history on PC and mobile didn't use to get synchronize. Lastly, a Virtual Machine for using only Whatsapp was a Overkill!

Finally I decided Telegram was perfect for my situation. And I just stopped using Whatsapp altogether. Atleast made it less frequently. I also had to forcefully get my friends on Telegram with whom I communicated with more frequency, but that was one time activity. And it solved all the 3 problems discussed above.

But since you didn't want to be moved from Whatsapp, you found that using VNC is a solution that suits your need. As a last post, I would request for you to provide links and a short tutorial/screenshots clearly, for those who may want to try your method. Thanks in advance.

 

[GhorMaanas]

ofcourse, using an app like line/viber/talk.to/telegram would've been the best recourse, but as the most active member in the group himself expressed his inability to move onto one, plus one other active member having space-constraints on his cell (an old samsung cell), i thought of finding a way out myself rather than keep persuading them to do something which could hamper their cell's day-to-day usage for them. and since the method(s) i found above are virtually hassle-free and easy to use, i didn't/don't mind.

one thing i noticed while i was searching for a solution to using WA on a phone and a pc simultaneously, was, that i was not in a minority. found many people over the net seeking a solution to this need. and since there's no issue of managing/syncing between the 2 devices, it adds to the ease. i just need to post in that group a few times in late evening/night, and at that time my cell is usually being charged, and the pc remains on for the whole duration, many times till the morning; so no hurdle on that front too.

will post a short 'how-to'. can't guarantee screenshots (though will try to include them), but it would be in a lucid and clear manner, as if writing a note on the same for myself (had once written a 'how-to' on another forum about establishing a connection with & communicating with a remote media server via a PC over the network, and i myself keep visiting it back from time-to-time whenever i feel the need to ).

 

[GhorMaanas]

Update the OP; adding the link to my just-posted summary of the steps i had taken to arrive at a solution, in this post too --> *www.digit.in/forum/tutorials/18784...one-use-whatsapp-phone-pc-simultaneously.html