Forget WhatsApp: (digital) carrier pigeons are back, and messaging is rediscovering the art of waiting

Carrier Pidge features only pigeons and also introduces an element of variability. The flight may slow down or speed up, and 0.2 per cent of the pigeons get lost along the way. The user tracks the route on the map, creates their own ‘flock’ of contacts and manages a digital aviary. Non-delivery is not an error to be avoided but part of the game: the App Store offers in-app purchases to buy more pigeons, even after a loss.

Roost expands on the concept of the travelling message by adding a stronger social element. The messenger can be a bird, a snail, a tortoise or another animal; the distance and the actual speed of the chosen species determine the arrival time. The message travels across a map whilst the user can build a collection of animals, add friends and search for pen pals in other countries. The individual animal profiles, events and in-app purchases introduce mobile gaming elements. There are mini-games to play with your birds, as well as ‘Tamagotchi’-style features for their development and care, helping to make them faster.

Slowly adopts a style more akin to traditional pen-pal correspondence. Users connect with pen pals and send digital letters, the delivery of which depends on the geographical location and the distance between the two profiles. Before sending, the app displays an estimated delivery time, whilst the recipient receives a notification but cannot read the content until the letter has arrived. Envelopes, digital stamps and profiles based on shared interests offer an alternative to constant chatting: the value of the service lies in the more leisurely pace of writing and the relationship that develops between correspondents.

Raven applies the ‘slow messaging’ model to letters, photographs and videos. Each message is entrusted to a digital courier, follows a route on the map and arrives with a short delivery animation, rather than appearing immediately in the conversation. The app therefore aims to make visible the time that platforms normally compress: the wait becomes part of the experience, alongside the journey and the discovery of the message received. Compared to Slowly, Raven adopts a more playful and visual style; compared to the carrier pigeons of Carrier Pigeon and Roost, it extends the concept to multimedia content and a visual style less tied to a single species.

Four different apps, one shared philosophy. You need to try them out to fully understand them. Take your time, though.