Canada-based Kik Interactive, the firm behind both the free to download instant messaging app Kik, and the cryptocurrency token Kin, have announced that the two have been integrated together to create a “crypto economy” within the Kik app.

The integration has already gone live for a small initial batch of 1,000 beta testers, but the firm plans to roll out their vision for a crypto economy to all users in the future. The integration allows Kik users to earn Kin tokens from the Kin Marketplace Beta for completing micro-tasks such as taking quizzes, working on tutorials, or answering polls, an accompanying press release states.

As part of the test, beta testers will be able to ‘purchase’ “premium chat themes” with Kin tokens. The Kin token will be used to purchase other interesting personalization features as the product offering develops. Kin will also be used to “reward” users for “improving the experience of others on Kik.”

Product Manager for Kik Interactive Laura Newton said in a company blog post:

"Real consumer use of cryptocurrency doesn't exist today, because the technology has yet to be adapted in daily life. We've built Kin into products that Kik users already use and have layered this experience in a simple and seamless way. Kin will continue to be a pillar of Kik's product strategy, and we will deepen the functionality of Kin in Kik, providing other partners with a clear example of how to launch their own Kin economy in their apps."

CEO of Kik Interactive and the Kin platform explained the company’s goal behind the Kin crypto economy:

“Our goal is to make Kin the most used cryptocurrency in the world and getting Kin into the hands of more Kik users is a critical step in achieving this.”

Livingston added:

“Blockchain is a new and complex technology, but consumers don’t have to understand the technology in order to use it. With these new experiences, we want to demonstrate how simple and seamless cryptocurrency-driven experiences can be.”

At the time of this writing, the integration only appears to be available on the Android smartphone platform – likely due to Apple’s recent App Store policy update that bars any apps from rewarding users with cryptocurrency for completing tasks. However, Kik says that this is only “the first step in scaling Kin’s capabilities,” so expect further developments in the future.