If you’re looking to take control of your Kik account or your child’s account, you’re probably wondering how you can permanently delete the app from your device. Some apps make it difficult or impossible to delete your account, but what about Kik? What kind of hoops do you have to jump through to get rid of the app from your phone?
In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to do to permanently or temporarily deactivate your account on this popular messaging app. Looking for a Kik replacement? Check out our best messaging apps for iOS and Android.
Temporary deactivation
There is a difference between deactivating an account and deleting it — which Kik refers to as temporary deactivation versus permanent deactivation. Temporary deactivation means that you will temporarily stop receiving Kik messages and emails, your username will not be searchable, and your name will get deleted from your contacts’ lists. But you can reactivate your account if you wish by signing back in. To deactivate or permanently delete your account, go to Kik’s website either on your phone or your computer. You can access the proper web page on your phone by using the app’s Help section and typing in “Delete Account” to the search box.
To temporarily deactivate your Kik account click this link to get an email sent to you.
Permanent deactivation
Permanent deactivation means deleting a Kik account forever. Once deleted, it cannot be restored. You will not receive messages or get emails from Kik ever again. No one will be able to search for you on the platform and your username and profile will be forever expunged from your friends’ contact lists. Once you permanently deactivate or delete your account, you’ll no longer be able to log back in or access contact information or message history. If you ever want to use the service in the future, you’ll have to sign up again with a different email address.
To permanently deactivate your Kik account, click this link to get an email sent to you.
Kik makes it easy to quit
- Make sure you know the email address you used to sign up for the service.
- Enter the correct information on Kik’s permanent deactivation website.
- Kik will send you an email with a link to permanently deactivate your account.
- If you or someone you know has searched for or sent messages to your account, your profile will be cached on their device, so it may take a few days to disappear off their device.
- Anyone else searching for your username won’t find you.
- Remove or uninstall the app from your phone, just as you would any other app.
Parents can deactivate a teen’s account
Deactivating a teen’s account means it will no longer be searchable within Kik, and the account will be deleted from the Kik contacts lists of all the teen’s chat companions. Parents need to know their child’s username and the email address they used to register for the account. Here is how to find a teen’s username.
- A teen’s username is available from their smartphone by launching Kik, which opens the app to the main chats list.
- Tap the icon at the top of the screen to open the settings, where you can see both the teen’s username and bold-faced display name.
- If you chat with your teen from your own device, it’s easy to see their username from the chat.
Kik usernames do not have spaces and can mix upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. If the teen has reset their Kik account, parents may be able to find their username on the login screen. For parents who want to keep tabs on their children’s activities through Kik, Kik advises them to monitor activity from their child’s device as opposed to using their own or any other external device as Kik doesn’t share chat content across devices That’s because Kik’s privacy features will automatically clear their chat history. Kik does not see or store chats between users.
Parents also have the power to disable their child’s account if they want. To do that, they must submit a deactivation inquiry to Kik via email at safety@kik.com with Parent Inquiry in the subject line. The request must include the teen’s Kik username and age.
There are many reasons why you may decide to quit Kik, and the company has made it easy to disengage for anyone who chooses to do so. Kik lets parents go a step further if they need to by allowing them to block their kid’s access to the app entirely.
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