Most Recent Posts

Enhance Patient Care: Combine the Nylas Calendar and Stream Chat APIs

Integrating chat functionality and robust scheduling capabilities can enhance the user experience of your telemedicine app. In this article, we will explore the power of combining the Nylas Calendar API with the Stream Chat API to showcase the use case of patients and care providers interacting using our products. By leveraging the unique qualities of
Read More3 Min Read

Stream's Principal Moderation PM Talks Trust & Safety On GDI Podcast

Adnan Al-Khatib, Principal Product Manager of Moderation at Stream, recently joined the GDI podcast during Trust and Safety Month to discuss content moderation. Stream offers a cutting-edge, end-to-end auto-moderation solution that enables real-time adaptability to your app's needs. This powerful tool protects users from bots, scammers, and bad actors. Let's look closely at some key
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The Ultimate Guide to Content Moderation

User engagement is the key to building a thriving social community, and the key to a successful business is loyal, active customers—no matter your use case. But this reward comes with risk. While user-generated content (UGC) can be empowering, persuasive, and insightful, it can also be off-topic, spammy, hateful, harmful, or even criminal. By moderating
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Content Moderators: What They Do & Why They Are Needed

One way to do that is to create an online community that is safe, supportive, and enjoyable for everyone. A designated content moderator can reduce the risk harmful content poses. Content moderators can help keep your users coming back because they'll trust that your platform is safe and inclusive. Moderators are trained to effectively search
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How Dating App Algorithms Work and How To Choose One for Your App

Everyone goes about dating in different ways.   Yet dating app algorithms are designed to predict romantic attraction. So, how does the algorithm decide who to pair up? Just like any algorithm, a dating app's algorithm tells your app the rules for decision-making. It's the set of instructions the app uses to find and sort potential
Read More10 Min Read

In-App Chat vs. SMS: What’s the Difference?

But what's the best way to get in touch with them? We'll cover the difference between chat and SMS, their use cases, benefits, and limitations of each to help you decide which method of user outreach is right for your app.  What is SMS? Short message service (SMS) are text messages that can be up
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Chat Engagement: What It Is, How to Measure It, and How to Increase It

Now you just sit back, relax, and watch as conversions rise and chat engagement goes up!  Just kidding. We all know it's not that simple. To increase chat engagement and impact your bottom line, you need to leverage the right chat techniques. Whether you use in-app chat for customer support or as a way for
Read More6 Min Read

Top 5 Fintech Business Models: Why They Work and Successful Examples

"Fintechs are popular, yet few are profitable," opined Capgemini's World Fintech Report 2021. Every financial technology company needs to make money and a sound business model is the fulcrum upon which a fintech company can scale. These five fintech business models can help you choose the best way to monetize your fintech offering. 1. Recurring
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Chat & Messaging Protocols: What Are They & How to Choose the Best One

No matter where you are in the world, you can use devices and software that enable real-time communication. It feels so easy and simple!  Yet how these messages are exchanged is a bit more complex than hitting the send button. Relaying messages from one part of the world to another is possible in part thanks
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6 Benefits of Adding Chat to Your eCommerce Marketplace

Many sites are still using outdated communication channels like phone or email. But consumers want a live chat option. According to a report by Kayako, many consumers would spend as much as $500 extra per month with companies that provide easy live chat experiences. And in the same report, consumers said they would more likely
Read More5 Min Read

The 14 Best APIs for Healthcare Apps

However, the increasingly digital world demands a seamless care experience for all parties. The global telehealth market is expected to grow to $101.2B in 2023 and compound at an annual growth rate of 24% til 2030. The introduction of HIPAA-regulated digitized protected health information (PHI) data and patient resources profoundly impacted the industry. This boon
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The Ultimate Guide to Peer-to-Peer Video Conferencing

Video conferencing technology is essential to nearly every modern business, from managing remote teams to closing deals across time zones. There are several ways video and voice calls can form a stable connection, one being peer-to-peer (P2P). This real-time communication solution is a popular choice among users who prioritize security, bandwidth, and a lightweight architecture
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Live Commerce: Video Stream Shopping

The Home Shopping Network (HSN) pioneered live commerce in the ’70s, which means we’re due for an eCommerce renaissance right about now. By blending entertainment with instant purchasing, live shopping offers brands, retailers, and online marketplaces the opportunity to build stronger engagement and loyalty with their audience. What is Live Commerce? Live commerce combines the
Read More19 Min Read

7 Benefits of Chatbots

Research from Gartner predicts that by the end of 2022, 70% of customer interactions will involve technologies like chatbots and mobile messaging. It doesn’t stop there. More and more companies are already adopting chatbots as part of their customer service experience. According to data from Mordor Intelligence, the chatbot market expects to grow 34% from
Read More8 Min Read

The Importance of Moderating In-Game Chat

Trolls, bad actors, and even bots can dismantle trust within video game communities by harassing other players and posting offensive or spammy content within the chat platform. Moderating multiplayer video game chat is essential to mitigating the harmful effects of toxic content on players, communities, and the game studio itself. What is In-Game Chat? In-game
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How AI Can Help Identify & Moderate Harmful Content

Machine Learning Engineer Chiara Caratelli covers how Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology can be leveraged to identify and moderate commercial spam at DeveloperWeek Europe 2022. Whether you’re attending a virtual event or watching your favorite gamer on a live stream, communicating via chat is a great way to engage with fellow participants, the host, and
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Gaming Trends: Video Game Industry Growth Statistics

Now, with VR gaming tech, players can virtually lose themselves in alternate realities. In what could be the most significant era in human history, with technology evolving at lightning speed, inquiring minds want to know where gaming will go from here. One of the most accurate ways to predict what will happen is to look
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The Ultimate Guide to Chat Moderation

What is Chat Moderation? Chat moderation is the act of reviewing and regulating user-generated messages and content posted on a platform to ensure it’s not inappropriate or otherwise harmful to the brand's reputation or its users. Why is Chat Moderation Important? Chat is paramount to building a strong sense of trust and safety with your
Read More11 Min Read

Top 10 Messaging Platform Features to Connect Remote Teams

Only two years later, 16% of companies worldwide are operating business as usual without a single office space. Technology has been a boon to the success of newly remote teams. Project management, document storage, and goal-setting tools have enabled workers to reimagine processes while remaining productive, so much so that 77% of remote employees consider
Read More5 Min Read

How to Prevent Commercial Spam with Machine-Generated Text Detection

If you’ve ever participated in a public online chat that’s suddenly inundated with identical messages encouraging you to click on a certain link, you’ve experienced the frustration of commercial spam. In addition to being annoying for chat users, commercial spam also deteriorates the quality of a chat, lowers the trust and safety rating of your
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How to Increase Virtual Marketplace Sales with In-App Chat

What is a Virtual Marketplace? The instant access to customer reviews, the negotiable prices, and the extraordinary convenience of marketplace apps is enough to give the behemoth of e-commerce a run for its money. Unlike conventional e-commerce sites, the responsibility of maintaining inventory, shipping logistics, product images, descriptions, and pricing falls on the seller. The
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6 In-App Chat Features for Casino & Gambling Apps

From playing poker to going all-in on your favorite thoroughbred, online gambling sites enable people from around the world to place bets on traditional casino games, novel games, and sports teams alike. The online gambling industry is rapidly growing, and every year more players are logging in to strike it rich. Online gambling garnered $59B
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7 Tips to Choose a Chat API Provider

More product teams than ever before are choosing to buy app functionality from an API/SDK provider rather than building it from the ground up. According to a Nordic APIs report, three in four professional app developers rely on third-party APIs to easily incorporate tough-to-code features into apps. Often, the decision to buy an off-the-shelf solution
Read More7 Min Read

In-Game Chat: An Intro to Text, Voice, & Video Messaging

This new take on a traditionally isolating activity is made possible by the rise of chat solutions for video games. Not only do gamers love the sense of community and camaraderie that chatting with other players creates, but thanks to in-game chat, studios also enjoy the benefits of their users being more engaged, translating to
Read More7 Min Read

‘Why Write When You Can Integrate?’ This Founder Shares the Benefits of Integrating a Chat API

Like many great startups, FanScout started by identifying a problem. For developer David Brear, this problem occurred during a weekend trip in New York City. Brear wanted to catch the Washington Capitals playing the New York Rangers in a sports bar — an important ice hockey game. But after visiting several bars, he couldn’t find
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The 10 Best Gaming Chat Apps

Whether you’re strategizing a plan of attack with your teammates or simply looking to catch up with old pals over a game, a user-friendly communications tool can exponentially improve your favorite pastime and be the perfect alternative to in-game chat. In this article, we’ll cover the top ten best gaming chat apps that’ll help you
Read More6 Min Read

Build vs. Buy: Chat for Customer Support

There are plenty of ready-made solutions on the market to get your customer support (CS) operation off the ground quickly, but they’re not without their drawbacks. Building a bespoke customer support interface can provide more customization and flexibility but at a higher development cost. This article covers CS fundamentals, the primary support channel, and will
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How to Build a Strong Community: In-App Chat vs. Third-Party Messaging

When we compare an app with a social environment to one without, the latter sees lower user engagement rates, a higher cost-per-install (CPI), and more frequent churn. Enabling users to chat amongst themselves creates a sense of community that doubles as a powerful acquisition and retention tool you’ll want in your arsenal. A tight community
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How HotelBuddy Powers a Contactless Guest Experience

Nearly every part of the travel industry has been transformed by mobile technology. Airline passengers arrive at their gate with tickets already on their phones. Taxis are summoned using ride-sharing apps such as Lyft or Uber, where passengers message their driver directly. Scannable QR codes provide access to museums, art exhibits, sporting events, and concerts.
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The Top 3 Requirements for Developing a PCI DSS Compliant Chat App

The modern consumer demands convenience. Last year, over two billion people completed their transactions online, with sales surpassing the $4.2 trillion mark. Enabling your customers to make in-app purchases and payments is no longer considered nice to have; it’s expected. But with great UX comes great responsibility, and protecting cardholder data (CHD) should be at
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Why Chat is Essential for This Startup Travel App

Whether it be for business or pleasure, traveling can often feel lonely: Travelers are typically surrounded by other people, but making that first connection can be difficult. While waiting for a flight in a crowded airport, William Cooper, co-founder of the startup travel app Abord, noticed the potential for a platform that could initiate conversations
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How An Ecuador-Based Fitness Startup Builds Community Using Chat

Camila Landivar says that her mom, Paula, has always had a magnetic personality. In her work as a fitness instructor, she’s not only able to motivate people to do one more pushup, but also she inspires them to follow a more holistic and healthy lifestyle outside of the gym. That’s why in early 2020, Camila
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Proactive Chat 101: Best Practices, Benefits, Use Cases & More

When you walk into a brick-and-mortar retail store, chances are that a store employee will approach you to make a personal connection, and ask if you need help finding a specific item. This common retail practice opens the door for salespeople to connect with customers, answer questions about products, guide customers toward exactly what they
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How This Telehealth Startup Connects Patients & Dermatologists

Dermatologists rely on visual assessment to diagnose and treat skin conditions, and since most patients have a phone with a camera in their pocket, telehealth tools that enable patients to capture and send images of skin lesions to their doctor seem like a no brainer. But to gauge the size, growth rate, and types of
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Stream’s Global Edge Infrastructure For Low Latency at Scale

Today's digital world has gone global—app users expect the ability to communicate with those on the other side of the world as easily as they can with a local user. When they experience delays in real-time communication, it can hurt UX and negatively impact metrics like user engagement, satisfaction, and churn. Your app needs an
Read More5 Min Read

Exceptional Customer Support: Why This Dating App Migrated to Stream Chat From an Alternative Chat Provider

Online dating in the United States is big business. An estimated 1,500 apps are available for download on Google Play and the Apple App Store, and studies suggest that by 2024, 53.3 million Americans will use internet dating services. Online dating options abound, with many apps supporting different interests, geographical locations, and religious values. But
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What is In-App Messaging?

Mobile app adoption is at an all-time high. According to App Annie’s recent State of Mobile industry report, mobile app downloads reached 218 billion in 2020 — up 7% from the year prior. This translates to $143 billion in consumer app spending and 3.5 trillion consumer minutes spent using apps. But despite such impressive app
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Enterprise Live Chat: Top 3 Challenges to Scale

Businesses face unique challenges when it comes to scaling enterprise live chat. While building basic messaging functionality with just a couple hundred users may be relatively straightforward for nimble startups, as apps acquire thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of users, live chat performance suffers without the right tech stack. Even minor performance issues
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Twilio Programmable Chat EOL: Considering Alternative Chat APIs

With Twilio Programmable Chat’s end of life approaching, product and engineering teams that rely on this popular API face a difficult decision. Twilio’s official guidance indicates that Programmable Chat’s web and in-app chat functionality will roll into the omnichannel Conversations API — but the transition will require app developers to make manual code updates, and
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Twilio Programmable Chat Migration Guide

This is the work-in-progress technical guide on how to migrate to Stream Chat from Twilio Programmable Chat. If you need assistance or want to discuss your migration privately with a technical expert, please get in touch with us at support@getstream.io. Twilio Programmable Chat EOL Notice Twilio has scheduled its Programmable Chat API end of life
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How to Build a Chat or Messaging App: The Ultimate Guide

Since the introduction of first-gen consumer messaging apps like AIM in the 1990s, chat has solidified its role as a mainstream method of communication. In many situations, users choose chat or instant messaging apps over other ways of contacting each other. Chat’s asynchronous nature eliminates the urgency and pressure of a phone call, but it
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5 Secure Messaging Myths

Messaging, whether it be through SMS/MMS text messages, email, or a messaging app, is a core way humans communicate with each other worldwide. According to CTIA, a trade association for the U.S. wireless communications industry, Americans sent 2.1 trillion SMS text messages in 2019, up 52 billion from the year prior; WhatsApp was delivering 100
Read More4 Min Read

10 Top APIs for Learning Management Systems

Learning management systems are a type of education technology designed to enable educators to organize and distribute curriculum and coursework. Increasingly more school systems, teachers, universities, students, and parents use learning management systems (LMS) and similar platforms to power in-classroom, hybrid, or remote learning models. With increased public focus on learning management systems, product managers
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27 Best Virtual Event Platforms on The Market

As the landscape of virtual events evolves, organizers of trade shows, conferences, expositions, summits, keynotes, fundraising events, and even wedding planners grapple with choosing the best virtual event platform for their specific use case. Also called online venues, virtual event platforms help recreate or replicate in-person events in a digital setting. Arguably as (or more)
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Feature Announcement: Quoted Replies

Quoted replies is a useful feature when you want to reply to a specific message in 1:1 chats or when you want to quote someone on your replies in group chats. The ability to quote and reply to specific messages in a conversation makes it easier to keep track of things, especially in larger group
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36 EdTech Statistics & Facts: The State of Technology in Education

To understand the future of technology in education, we need to know what’s happening now. We’ve seen recent changes in the industry that seem to be paving the way for a new wave of online learning for entrepreneurs, edtech developers, instructors, and learners alike. A deep dive into these changes can show what we might
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Feature Announcement: Pinned Messages

When you have important messages that you want to be able to see quickly, you can use the pinned messages feature. Pinned messages are flagged as special and can be set up so that you see them at the top of your folder, channel, conversation, etc. Pinned messages are used to share information and resources
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Why These 20 Platforms are the Best Learning Management Systems on the Market

Learning management systems (LMS) are edtech tools designed to organize, store, and distribute online curriculum content to learners. They are extensively used by schools, teachers, administrators, universities, online education websites, and students to organize classwork and track course progress, and by businesses to guide employees through onboarding, training, or professional development. Learning management systems are
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The Future of Virtual Events: How 5 Top Platforms Boost Attendee Engagement

Few industries experienced such recent meteoric growth as virtual events. Defined as an organized meet-up that takes place online rather than in a physical location, virtual events are a vital tool for event organizers in 2021 and beyond. According to a report by the Professional Convention Management Association, 70% of event organizers moved either all
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Why Natterhub's Kid-Friendly Design Makes Edtech More Effective

Children are going online earlier in life than ever. While they may be able to effortlessly drag, drop, and post updates on social networking sites, they haven’t yet acquired the emotional maturity to use the internet mindfully. Technological ability without wisdom is one reason social media use is associated with an increased risk of depression,
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