Alternate messaging app suggestions

[anon(522161)]

Been using Kik for about a year now but after one of the updates it became a major contributor to the battery drain. So, I'm looking for an alternate messaging app and would appreciate your suggestions.

Must have features:
1. Low battery impact
2. Crossplatform - my wife is on iPhone and I have Galaxy S2
3. Reliable infrastructure
4. No SMS - we don't use/have SMS text plans
5. Simple interface (don't care/need if it integrates with Facebook or can make phone calls for instance)
6. Message send/receive status ala BBM
7. Smilies
8. Profile picture selection from Gallery
9. Ability to send pictures

Nice to have features:
1. Message notification sound configuration
2. Ability to send videos, contacts, etc.
3. Group chat

Hope there is an app out there that fits the bill. eBuddy XMS came close but requires Facebook sign in for pic configuration. WhatsApp was way too busy and just not as user friendly to me. Tried PingChat way back and the service unreliable. I'm sure there are other apps I'm forgetting.

Any feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[kcnwa]

I used BBM for years. WhatsApp is the closest you're going to get right now, IMO.

GroupMe was terrible, unreal battery drain.

Kik ins't cross platform as you can't use it on BB, and I still have friends on BB (poor souls).

WA is always up, I think I've only had one or two cases when the servers were down, and I don't see where it's "busy", but to each their own.

When was the last time you gave WhatsApp a chance? Over 10 million downloads in the market, clearly it's not a niche player in the messaging world.

You could venture into the Google+ messenger and go the huddle route.

 

[anon(522161)]

Kik ins't cross platform as you can't use it on BB, and I still have friends on BB (poor souls).

It is cross platform in our household as I only care about iOS and Android. Luckily BB days are long behind us here.

WhatsApp is the closest you're going to get right now, IMO.
...
When was the last time you gave WhatsApp a chance? Over 10 million downloads in the market, clearly it's not a niche player in the messaging world.

I looked at WA again about a week ago. It didn't meet my #5 requirement tbhwy. Busy UI, too many options I don't need, with odd configuration choices was my 1st impression. I had my wife send me a test message and configured out of the box it used contact's ring tone for the message notification. Confused the heck out of me. I thought she was calling me while she was at home already.