

A cursory Google search reveals almost no coverage of this app ( minus a mention in a CNET list of hot apps and a couple of vlogs on YouTube). And, naturally, there are filters.Īnd when we say this is off the grid, we really mean it. And then people keep sending things back and forth, and so on, and so forth. That’s then sent over to the other friend, who can respond right away or open it at their leisure.

Users tap on a friend’s face to start a video conversation. But either way, Silicon Valley is buzzing about it.Īs far as we can tell, Marco Polo seems to have a certain Snapchat vibe to it that’s somehow crossed with Tapstack (though on the App Store page, it says messages do not disappear). And there are negative reviews in the App Store referring to spamming contacts (see below). It also looks like there are some complaints on Twitter. There may be some growth hacking gymnastics going on here, as one Reddit user pointed out that the app sent a bunch of text messages to all of their contacts. Here’s the thing - it looks like the app’s been around for more than a year, and was largely off the grid for its lifetime. That led to the company raising something around $100 million from firms like GGV and Greylock at a $500 million valuation. The app was also around for a while, and then out of nowhere exploded. We’ve seen this story play out before, most recently with musical.ly. Investors are suddenly very interested in this app that - so we hear - might be growing in popularity among the youths. There’s a whisper in the venture community we’re hearing that is growing increasingly louder, and it’s about this video walkie-talkie app called Marco Polo.
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The app is available for free from the App Store or Google Play. Still, it’s a decent alternative to most video and instant messaging apps and addresses many of its competitors’ issues. That’s all there is to it – Marco Polo isn’t revolutionary compared to other messaging apps out there. Making sure to use it sparingly or only when you have a Wi-Fi connection will keep this from becoming an issue. The app stores all videos online, so they don’t take up space on your device, which means that the app can eat up a pretty large amount of data if you use it without Wi-Fi. If the notifications start to get on your nerves, you can always turn them off in your device’s settings. The app provides various notifications, such as when someone is viewing your Polo, when they’re recording a viewable one, and even when their internet connection is spotty and causing a transmission delay. Your account isn’t publicly displayed, and no one can seek out strangers to send videos to.

You can only add people you already have in your phone’s contact list, so it’s easier to stay safe online. Marco Polo isn’t reliant on larger social networks like Facebook or Google, a unique feature that streamlines the whole experience quite a bit. With a subscription to Premium, you’ll also get custom emoji, voice-only Polos, and many other handy features. Older chats are archived, and if you want access to all of your previous videos and chats, you’ll have to subscribe to Marco Polo Premium for $10 a month. Unless you or the other person removes videos, you can easily look back and rewatch any of the recent videos and chats you’ve sent or received. You can, of course, choose to delete your less-than-flattering videos, but you can only remove the ones that you’ve created. After all, there’s nothing worse than trying to make concrete plans via Snapchat and forgetting the contents of your last message. Where Marco Polo differs from other popular messaging apps, however, is that the messages - known as Polos - won’t disappear after they’re viewed. Both sport visual and voice filters and give you the option to draw or add text to any of your videos. There are actually a lot of similarities between Marco Polo and Snapchat.
