Peach, which launched a few weeks ago, has been heralded as a “the Internet’s Coolest New Social App“. What makes Peach notable is a surprisingly simple feature, “magic words.” These words are shortcuts to existing actions in the app that make sharing easier. For example, when you type “GIF” into the messaging window, the app reads it as a command line and provides a search to Giphy within the window and help you pick gifs from the available variety. You can also type in “Move” and immediately share how many miles you’ve walked that day.
Why It’s Hot: New York Magazine reflects on Peach as “the latest app to turn away from a pure GUI, a “graphical user interface” that relies on buttons and icons, and back toward a watered-down version of a CLI, the text-based “command line interface.” It’s an interesting thought that command line actually makes actions easier than visuals, especially on a texting app where the primary action is already typing. This is a differentiating way to think about apps. Instead of applying the usual norms and best practices, Peach makes messaging more contextual and immediate, while leveraging personal information you’d already want to share. It’s too early to tell how long its popularity will last, but it’s definitely an app worth close observation.
