Why is Zenly Shutting Down? Looking for the Best Alternative to the Popular App
If you’ve been using the Zenly app, there is an important update you need to be aware of. Snap, Zenly’s parent company, has made the decision to shut down the popular app. As the news spreads, users are beginning to look for alternative apps for location sharing.
Contents:
- What Is Zenly?
- Why Is Zenly Shutting Down?
- Zenly Shutdown Date
- Findmykids: A New Alternative to Zenly
- How to Delete Zenly Account?
- FAQs
What Is Zenly?
Zenly is a popular location-tracking app. For those unfamiliar with Zenly, this app was founded in 2011 in Paris, France. Its main feature is an interactive map where users can share their locations with one another in real-time.
When users opened the app, they could immediately pinpoint their friends’ locations and see which friends were together at any given time. Messaging was another primary feature of Zenly, and it allowed users to coordinate plans with one another or just send a greeting.
Many different people and organizations loved Zenly and Zenly employees for helping to coordinate meet-ups. Firefighter divisions, for example, would use the app to help coordinate their teams. Taxi drivers, couriers, and even some politicians used the app too!
Today, many users argue that Snap Map now offers the features Zenly provided. In fact, as the parent company of Zenly, Snapchat encourages Zenly users to make use of the integrated service.
Why Is Zenly Shutting Down?
Credit: Zenly
Unlike many other failing apps, Zenly didn’t shut down because of a lack of users. In fact, it was one of the most popular social apps on both iOS and Android.
But if it was so popular, then why is it shutting down?
According to a Snap spokesperson, Snapchat decided to close Zenly because it didn’t make a lot of money for the company. Unfortunately, the developers never focused much on monetizing the app, and that decision came back to haunt them.
Another reason why Snap executives decided to shut down the app is because it became difficult to maintain two separate products. Zenly and Snap never integrated, and the Zenly team couldn’t meet changing demands within the industry or economic climate.
So why didn’t Snap sell off the app? That’s another good question.
Snap could have decided to sell Zenly but decided not to, perhaps out of fear of competition from future buyers. After all, Snap Map is one of Snap Chat’s newest features that provides very similar location-sharing services.
Instead of selling Zenly, Snap executives shut the app down in February 2023. This decision comes despite the fact that many companies made offers to purchase the app, but Snap declined them all.
Whether shutting down Zenly was a good or bad business decision remains to be seen.
Zenly Shutdown Date
Another question Zenly users have is the exact date the app is shutting down. There have been rumors that Zenly was shutting down for a while now. Until recently, though, there was no official shutdown date.
We now know that Zenly will be shutting down for good on February 3, 2023.
Findmykids: A New Alternative to Zenly
Since Zenly is indeed shutting down in early 2023, users will need to find another location-sharing app to meet their needs. A good alternative for these former Zenly users is Findmykids.
Findmykids is an easy-to-use app designed for parents who need to keep tabs on their kids’ whereabouts. Once downloaded, the app allows moms and dads to pinpoint certain locations their kids frequent like home and school, for instance. Then, the app will automatically alert parents via notifications when their kids arrive or depart from one of these places.
Another great feature of Findmykids is that it can be downloaded on the phone (either Apple or Android) or a GPS smartwatch. This is ideal if your child is too young to have a smartphone, but you still want to know where he or she is going throughout the day.
Real-Time Location Tracking
Parents can use the app to see their child’s (or other relatives) precise location on a map in real-time. They can also view the child’s location history to see everywhere he or she has been that day. This eliminates many potential worries such as the kid’s route to school, whether they made it to an afterschool activity, or if they’re being upfront about their whereabouts.
For example, if a child is supposed to be at school but their location history shows that they visited an unfamiliar location, parents can quickly investigate to ensure their child’s safety. Real-time location tracking also makes it easy for parents to monitor their child’s route to school, ensuring that they arrive safely and on time.
Keep Track of Kids’ Screen Time
While Zenly was almost exclusively a location-tracking device, Findmykids has many other useful features. Another part of its functionality is the screen time feature. With this tool, parents can see which apps their children are using on their smartphones and for how long.
Listen To Your Child’s Surroundings
Findmykids offers an additional feature that was not available on Zenly— the Sound Around function. Once connected to your child’s device, this feature allows you to listen to the sounds in your child’s surroundings through their gadget’s speaker. It provides parents with a sense of security as they can monitor their child’s environment and ensure that everything is okay.
This feature can also be helpful in case of an emergency, allowing parents to hear what’s going on and take action accordingly. Overall, Findmykids offers a comprehensive set of tools that can help parents keep their children safe and secure, both in terms of their physical location and their environment.
Battery Monitoring
Another feature that surpasses Zenly’s capabilities is the battery checker on the Findmykids app. With this tool, parents can check the charge on their child’s phone remotely. That way, they can remind kids to charge the phone before it dies and they lose contact.
Pingo: The Companion App for Kids
Unlike Zenly, Findmykids also has a companion app. Called Pingo (the app is downloaded on a child’s gadget), this application provides a simple and fun interface for children and allows them to connect with parents throughout their day, no matter where they are. Kids can send messages and stickers to their parents, so moms and dads always know how their children are feeling, even when they’re apart.
While Pingo features whimsical stickers and animations, it also provides a very important function to keep your child safe. Pingo’s emergency SOS feature enables kids to send a loud signal to parents whenever they perceive danger nearby.
That way, kids will never be truly alone in a dangerous situation even when mom and dad aren’t around. They can navigate their world with confidence, knowing that they can get help from their parents whenever they need it.
As soon as parents receive an emergency signal from the Pingo app, it will immediately begin recording the child’s surroundings. This can provide important information about the child’s circumstances and can be particularly helpful if the child is injured or cannot communicate effectively for whatever reason.
Parents can also send a loud signal to their child’s phone. This can be helpful if the child’s phone is on silent or he or she is ignoring calls. It’s a way to get the child’s attention when apart from their parents.
For anyone looking for an alternative to Zenly, Findmykids and its companion app Pingo are free to download. Plus, all new users get a seven-day free trial to explore all of the apps’ functions and tools. After the free trial is over, these features can be accessed at the cost of a subscription. Location sharing, however, is always free. There’s nothing to lose. Download the app right now!
How to Delete Zenly Account?
According to Zenly employees, it’s possible to delete a Zenly account using the following steps:
- Open Settings (located at the top right of the map).
- Select Need Some Help?
- Select Contact Us.
- Tap Delete Account.
- Confirm (or cancel) the request to delete the account.
After a user deletes their Zenly account, active friends of that account will no longer see the account or have the ability to interact with the account.
All users have 30 days to reactivate the account after it’s deleted. After 30 days Zenly permanently deletes the account.
For all other questions regarding the use of the app, it’s possible to contact the Zenly team or a Zenly employee for support. However, since the app is no longer available for download your questions may remain unanswered.
FAQs
Credit: forbes.ru
What is Zenly Used For?
The Zenly app is a location-sharing app or social mapping app. The app launched with the primary purpose of helping users determine family and friends’ locations in real time.
The app utilizes three major features: messaging, mapping and searching.
- Messaging: It’s possible to chat with friends without leaving the app. Create one on one conversations or a group with up to 100 people.
- Mapping: The map shows users where they’ve traveled and allows for sharing important memories and moments.
- Searching: Look for friends and family to see where they’ve been and access the photos and memories they’ve shared.
Is Zenly a Tracking App?
Yes. Zenly is used primarily for location tracking. There are other features to the app as well such as a chat function.
With Zenly, it’s possible to track friends’ and family’s locations to see where they’ve been. It’s also possible to send messages and view favorite memories from a user’s past location.
Is Snapchat Shutting Down?
No. Zenly is owned by the parent company Snap. This app is slotted to shut down in February of 2023.
Snap announced they shut down Zenly because it became difficult to support an app outside of the Snapchat community. Snap executives also failed to see any meaningful profit from the app during the economic downturn.
Finding and downloading the Snapchat app onto iOS and Android devices is still possible.
Related: Is Snapchat Safe?
Can I Still Register for Zenly in 2023?
Technically, no. The app shut down on February 23, 2023. It’s no longer possible to register for Zenly or even download the app. We advise you to consider alternatives for location sharing.
What are Some Similar Apps Compared to Zenly?
For Zenly users who are looking for a replacement app, Findmykids is a great alternative. Others include Life360, Glympse, and Mylo.
Is Zenly Owned by Snapchat?
In 2017, Snap leadership announced that it had purchased Zenly for somewhere between $250 and $350 million.
Initially, Snap launched a very similar map features that many believed to be a copy of Zenly. As a result, selling Zenly didn’t seem like an option. However, since Snap acquired Zenly, the company included the app in its features and allowed Zenly employees to run the app autonomously.
However, due to a very difficult economic environment, and despite the Zenly team’s efforts, Snap decided to shut down operations to focus their efforts elsewhere (as of February 3, 2023).
Life After Zenly
While it might sound strange that an app as popular as Zenly would shut down, it’s crucial to understand that Snap needed to make a savvy business decision. After all, it’s cumbersome to work with an app that isn’t integrated with Snapchat. An economic downturn certainly didn’t help!
Zenly had a good run, but unfortunately, it’s time to say goodbye. Life goes on, and there are many other applications that provide the same functionality as Zenly and more. Findmykids, for instance, goes well beyond location sharing and provides parents with a convenient and effective way to keep in touch with their kids on the go. Try the app today—what’s more important than your child’s safety?
The picture on the front page: Los Angeles Times
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