Ikea already sells virtually anything a person could want to maintain their world. Beds? Check. Wine glasses? Check? IBS-inducing meatballs? Check. And now the company has added a keyboard app chock-full of emoticons to that ever-growing list of wares.
According to the Swedish firm, the app, which is available free on your Android or iPhone device, is intended to improve your relationship. They note that: “Men and women have always found difficulty in communication. In the home situation misunderstandings occur most around clutter. And that is why Ikea introduces Emoticons: a communication tool to ensure universal love and understanding in your home.”
In order to take your relationship-based communication to the next level you’ll need to jump through a couple of hoops and be prepared to settle for something a bit underwhelming (though this is the traditional Ikea experience, so I don’t know why we were surprised).
First you’ll have to grab the app from the App Store or Google Play Store, install it an activate it through your settings, and once you’re done the emojis won’t actually appear as normal ones do, instead they’re pasted into your message, 10 times the size, looking a bit like clip-art, albeit colourful, bold Scandinavian clip-art.
The standard keyboard which accompanies the “emoticons” doesn’t offer anything to get excited about either (shock, horror!). It’s a simple, no-frills affair with no correction or prediction which will likely have you screaming for Swiftkey within about 10 seconds.
While improving people’s relationships is a bit of a lofty aspiration for an app which features cute graphics of furniture and meatballs, it’s a noble goal nonetheless. If you want to take Ikea’s app for a test drive you can head over to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now and download it now.
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