What "web app" means for Chatiwi
Chatiwi is built as a web app: the whole thing, from the random match to the one-to-one video call and your messages, runs inside the browser you already have. You do not go to a store, wait for a download or approve an update. You open chatiwi.app and you are in.
What you can add is a home-screen icon. Your browser saves Chatiwi next to your other apps; tap the kiwi and Chatiwi opens in its own full-screen window, without the address bar and tabs. It looks and behaves like an installed app, it takes almost no space, and it is always the latest version.
- No store account, no download, no updates to install.
- Opens full screen from your home screen or dock.
- The same Chatiwi on a phone, a tablet or a computer.
- Can send notifications once it is on your home screen.
Install Chatiwi on an iPhone or iPad
- Open chatiwi.app in Safari.
- Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow pointing up).
- Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen. If you do not see it, tap Edit Actions and add it to the list.
- Keep the name "Chatiwi" and tap Add.
On recent versions of iOS, Chrome and other browsers have the same option in their own share menu. The kiwi icon appears on your home screen; drag it wherever you like.
Install Chatiwi on an Android phone
- Open chatiwi.app in Chrome.
- Tap the ⋮ menu in the top corner.
- Tap Add to Home screen or Install app, whichever your version shows.
- Confirm with Add or Install.
Samsung Internet works the same way from its menu (Add page to, then Home screen). Some phones show a small banner offering to install Chatiwi; tapping it does the same thing.
Use the Chatiwi web app on a computer
A laptop or desktop with a webcam is a comfortable way to video chat: a bigger picture, a steady camera and your hands free. You can simply keep a tab open, or give Chatiwi its own window:
- Chrome or Edge: click the install icon at the right end of the address bar, or open the browser menu and choose the install option for the page.
- Safari on a Mac: choose File, then Add to Dock (macOS Sonoma or later).
The first time you start a video chat from the installed app, your device may ask for the camera and microphone again. Choose Allow. If you said no by mistake, the Chatiwi Help Center shows how to turn access back on.
Notifications from the Chatiwi app
Because it is a web app, Chatiwi can notify you about new messages like any other app, once you allow it. On Android and on a computer you can allow notifications from the browser. On an iPhone or iPad, Apple only lets a web app ask for notifications after it is on your home screen (iOS 16.4 or later), so install Chatiwi first, open it from the icon, and then allow notifications when Chatiwi asks.
Our guide to Chatiwi notifications covers each device step by step, and how to turn them off again.
Your account in the installed app
If you have signed in with your email, everything tied to your account comes with you: sign in once in the installed app and your follows, messages and coin balance are there.
Good to know on iPhone: a home-screen app keeps its own storage, separate from Safari. A guest session you started in Safari does not carry over to the icon, so the icon starts a new guest session. Guest sessions also cannot be moved to another device. If you want to keep the same Chatiwi everywhere, sign in with your email.
To remove the app, press and hold the icon and choose Remove (iPhone) or Uninstall (Android), the same as any other app.
Is there a Chatiwi app in the App Store, or an APK?
No. Chatiwi is not listed in the App Store or Google Play, and there is no APK file to download. That is on purpose: the web app gives you the same video chat without an installer, and it works on any device with a current browser. If a site offers you a "Chatiwi APK", it is not ours, so do not install it.
Everything else is the same Chatiwi described on the Chatiwi homepage: start as a guest, video chat one-to-one, and pick someone from the online list or let a random match decide.