BiP - Messenger, Video Call

Review by eFreeware

The most distinctive thing about BiP is not a feature you tap on a screen but an arrangement behind it: under certain operator agreements, the developer says you can message and call without spending your mobile data allowance. For anyone on a limited plan, or in a place where topping up data is expensive, that changes what a messenger is worth. The app itself is a free communication tool built by Turkish engineers and used by millions worldwide, according to its developer.

That data arrangement is also the clearest way to describe who BiP is for. If your operator is one of the ones covered, the app gives you a way to keep talking when your data bucket is empty, which is a different proposition from messengers that quietly consume your allowance with every photo and call. If your operator is not part of that group, BiP still works as a capable messenger, but the pitch is thinner. It has been on Google Play since November 2013 and carries a 3.9 average from more than 1.3 million ratings, with over 100 million installs.

I would describe it as a full messenger rather than a niche tool. It handles the everyday things people expect, and then adds a set of extras that are less common, some of which are genuinely useful and some of which are simply fun. The question for most readers is whether those extras matter enough to move a group of friends or family onto a new app.

Encryption as the foundation, not a badge

The developer leads with privacy: chats and calls are encrypted, and the company says that neither it nor anyone else can read them, with data not saved or handed to third parties. That is a strong promise, and it is the kind of claim that deserves scrutiny wherever it appears, but it is also the right foundation for a messenger. If you are discussing anything you would not want read back to you, the encryption is the part that matters most.

On top of that sits the calling side. BiP supports one-on-one and group voice and video calls at HD quality, which covers the two shapes most people actually need: a quick private call and a family or work group call. HD group calling is a meaningful inclusion rather than an afterthought, and the quality is described as crystal clear.

The two together explain why BiP positions itself as a serious alternative rather than a lightweight chat toy. Encryption plus group calling is the core of what a modern messenger is judged on, and both sit at the front of what the app offers.

The extras that make BiP feel different

Beyond the basics, the app carries an unusually long feature list. Messaging includes disappearing messages, live location sharing, money transfers, instant video, voice recordings, stickers and instant translation in more than 100 languages. Group chats can run polls, which is a small thing that makes planning with a group far less chaotic. Channels let you follow content from hundreds of publishers, and status updates let you post photos and videos to your contacts.

Two features stand out for me because they solve problems rather than add decoration. First, reminders: messages you send yourself can carry a reminder, set once or repeated, and BiP alerts you at that time. That turns the chat with yourself into a lightweight task list, which is a habit many people already have in other messengers and rarely get proper support for. Second, an emergency tool: with one tap, a trusted contact learns if you are safe or need help, along with your location.

The translation tool is the one I would watch most closely. Supporting more than 100 languages inside a chat is an ambitious claim, and for anyone with family or colleagues across borders it could remove a real barrier. Some of these additions will become daily habits, others will be tried once.

The latest update adds a few small but welcome touches. You can now take several photos and send them together in a chat, videos start muted until you turn the sound on, and when a call goes unanswered you can follow up with a voice or video message instead of a text.

What it asks of you, and what it costs

BiP is free to download and no subscription is required to use it. That is a straightforward position, and it means the barrier to trying it is essentially zero. The app does include in-app purchases.

There are no ads, which for a free messenger is worth noting. The data-free arrangement is the part that requires homework: it depends on operator agreements, and the developer directs readers to its website to find the operators and tariffs that qualify. If that benefit is the reason you are considering BiP, checking your own operator against that list before you commit is the sensible first step.

The other requirement is social rather than technical. A messenger is only as useful as the people you can reach on it, so the practical cost of switching is convincing the group you talk to most to install it as well. That is true of every messenger, and it is worth weighing honestly before you start.

How I would approach it in practice

If you decide to try BiP, I would start with the parts that do not depend on anyone else. Set up a reminder on a message to yourself for something recurring, and add your trusted contacts to the emergency feature so it is ready before you ever need it. Those two take a few minutes and give you a reason to keep the app installed even if your main conversations stay elsewhere.

The next step is a group. Polls and group calls are where a messenger proves itself, and a small family or friend group is the easiest place to test whether the calling quality and the notifications suit you. If you are the person who organizes things, the poll feature alone may earn its place.

For anyone with contacts abroad, the translation feature is worth trying early, since it is the kind of tool that either fits naturally into a conversation or does not. And if your operator is covered by the data-free agreements, the real test is simply using BiP for a week when you would otherwise be watching your data meter, which tells you more than any feature list can.

A messenger with a regional advantage

BiP is a mature, free messenger with encryption, HD group calling, channels, reminders, translation and an emergency tool, all in one app.

The strongest reason to choose it is the operator arrangement that lets some users message and call without consuming mobile data. If you are covered, that is a concrete, ongoing benefit that most messengers cannot match. If you are not, BiP is still a capable app, but it competes on features and encryption alone, and the effort of moving your contacts over becomes the deciding factor.

For anyone whose operator is on the list, or who wants a single app that covers calls, group chats, translation and a safety check-in, BiP is worth installing and trying with a small group first.

What's new in version 5.5.31

We're continuously improving BiP for you. In this release, we’ve made significant performance and experience improvements. Also; -You can now take multiple photos and send them at once directly from BiP in a chat. -Videos now start playing muted and you can turn the sound on anytime. -When your call goes unanswered, you can easily send a voice or an instant video message.