Hooked has recently gained a 560% jump in downloads since October 2016, now making it the second most downloaded free app- right behind Snapchat. So, what is this insanely, and suddenly, popular app all about?

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Hooked is a new way to read, and a different way to tell a story. The stories are told entirely through the format of a texting conversation. Because of this, there’s no background to the story or anytime leading up the events, so once you start a story, you’re in it.  This causes you to get into the story quickly, hence the name Hooked. When you start a story in the climax, it’s hard to not want to keep reading.

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The app, unless you pay for a subscription, automatically picks stories for you to read. Also, unless you pay, the app only allows you to read about 30 “messages” at a time, and then you have to wait 40 minutes or pay to get the next part of the story.

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Because of the way that these stories are told, don’t expect them to be literary masterpieces. If that’s what you’re looking for, this is not for you. If you just want a short, dramatic story to fill up a few minutes here and there, then this app is definitely something for you to check out.

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Hooked has a lot of mixed reviews on the App Store, but overall it has a rating of 4.5 stars. Some people are just in love with the app, and other people are very angry about having to wait or pay. Personally, I get that it takes money to do something like this so it makes sense to me to have to pay for different features, like not having to wait to read the rest of a story or being able to pick what stories you read. But, a lot people are quite angry about this so if you’re one of those people then this isn’t an app for you.

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Overall, it’s a fun app to check out. Whether it’s something that will be used and popular for a long time, I don’t think so. But, try it for yourself and see! It can be downloaded for free on the App Store or on GooglePlay.