Earlier this year, MTN Uganda in partnership with SIMFY Africa launched Ayoba as a new data-free (Zero-rated) App for customers to securely communicate using Smartphones in a fashion similar to that of popular Instant Messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.

The difference with the app is the fact that it’s built by Africans to be used by Africans throughout its entire validity timeframe. So, with the new feature, Ayoba takes a step ahead of IM Platforms like WhatsApp as the first to Integrate an in-App sending feature.

While revealing the new in-App Mobile Money feature, Susan Kayemba – the Senior Manager MTN Digital services noted that the telco and SIMFY will continue modifying Ayoba to fully Integrate customer telecommunication needs.

“We are happy to inform our customers that they can now send money and receive money within the ayoba app while they chat. They can also listen to music or play games and soon iOS device users will be able to access the ayoba super app and become part of this revolutionary communication experience.”

Susan Kayemba – Senior Manager Digital Services, MTN Uganda

Send and Receive MTN Mobile Money using the Ayoba App – Getting Started

To Send and Receive MTN Mobile Money using the Ayoba App, first, you need to make sure your Ayoba registered number is an MTN number (for the sender), If receiving, your network carrier doesn’t matter since MTN allows sending money to all top telcos including Airtel, Africell, UTL.

Once your registered Ayoba App number is associated with an MTN Mobile Money account, you’ll then be able to send money through the App, then the receiver will receive a notification of the sent amount, and here is how you can get started with sending money on Ayoba.

• Download and Install the Ayoba App or update your existing version
• Within the App, Select a Contact you wish to Send Money
• From the Open Chat Window, tap the attachment symbol
• On the list of tabbed displayed options, Locate money (last option)
• Then Choose Send Momo
• From the Displayed contact page, Enter Amount, and a Message for the receiver, then Tap Send

• When a Confirmation Popup appears, tap continue to enter your Mobile Money PIN off-App
• Enter Your MTN Mobile Money PIN when prompted from your registered SIMCard, or dial *185*8# and select approvals to enter your PIN.
• Once Approved, Money will be sent to your contact (Receiver) with a notification of the amount and message in the Ayoba App
• Done: The receiver will receive a Mobile Money message with the received amount and an Ayoba notification as confrimation of Money-In.

Just like that, you can continuously send money to your contacts, friends, and family through the Ayoba App without necessarily cramming their Phone Number for manual sending through the My MTN App or the *185# MTN Shortcode.

As an advantage, the new Ayoba Mobile Money sending feature helps you to send money to contacts and notify them within the App itself with a confirmation of the sent amount.

Just in case the receiver has a Mokash loan and the money is chopped in the process, your Ayoba notification marks as a confirmation of money sent to the receiver’s number.

So, on top of the ability to send MTN Mobile money using the Ayoba App, the App allows you to send and receive instant messages, listen to music, play games, send Photos and Videos, communicate in local languages, among other features.

Currently, Ayoba is available on Android Smartphones only, but as per the confirmation from MTN Uganda, the App will soon be available to Apple IOS users on iPhones. But For now, the ability to send and receive money makes Ayoba a must-have App for not just secure communications, but also good business leads.

The App is developed by Simfy Africa and its currently a darling in many African countries. But unlike WhatsApp or Telegram, Ayoba brings to play a bunch of new features that make it a platform worth reviewing.

Having sealed a partnership with MTN in Uganda, the App doesn’t require bulk data to run, but simply routes with free monthly 1GB data gifted to every MTN customer registered on Ayoba.

By usage gauge, the App also consumes less data compared to other Instant Messaging platforms like WhatsApp, this can be attributed to the use of African Datacenters, but also, the simple App layout with only relevant features on-top.

By Features, Ayoba is a complete solution that holds all information you’d need in multiple Apps, and instead, getting it in a single central App. Among the notable feeds available through channels, News is a daily notion based on your liking, Sports updates, plus alot more.

Uniquely, you can play hundreds of In-App games without exiting the platform. Though the built-in games are more like starter games, its expected of a growing platform like Ayoba, but unique for an IM Platform to have gaming functionality, among other features.

Ayoba App Features

• Local languages: The App is available in most local African languages.
• Chat now: Users can send and receive Instant text/voice messages with contacts whether they have the App installed or not.
• Security: Messages are End-to-end encrypted for maximum privacy
• Chat with Everyone: Users are able to send SMS text messages with anyone in their contact list, regardless of whether they have Ayoba installed or not.
• Channels: Users can subscribe to channels for relevant content.
• Gaming: Users can play with a large selection of games without exiting the App.
• FREE to use: The App is free for MTN customers by up to 1GB every month.
• Money Transfer: Users are able to transfer money to contacts using MTN Momo
• Music Streaming: The App allows you to stream online music without worrying about downloads, and increased storage files.

What We like about the Ayoba App

Honestly, it’s hard to find a perfect solution to your needs, but with the power of innovation blended with stiff competition, players bring to play reliable solutions and Ayoba is definitely one of them.

The App is not only a favorite due its African spice, but also presents a rundown of functionality that may be hard to find in most IM Apps. Headlining what we like about the App is the fact that you get real-time content updates through the App’s channels.

If you’re a Football fan, you can receive instant News about your favorite football club, transfer market updates, bundled with Live scores. Based on your content choice, you can select through multiple channels to your liking including Movies, Lifestyle, Entertainment and non-spammy updates delivered right on time.

Also, the fact that you can use Ayoba with or without the App is a perfect model. When you send a contact a message on the App, the same message gets delivered as an SMS message assuming the recipient doesn’t own a Smartphone or runs a feature phone like the MTN Kamunye.

Away from the features slide, we like the fact that Ayoba is free on top of free, in that, the App is free to use and in the same frame close to being data-free (Zero rated) for Yello subscribers. This makes the App a perfect companion to keep you connected without worrying about any prior OTT tax payment.

What we don’t like

Every IM App is designed to enable seamless instant communications. On top of that, accessibility is an important aspect is User experience. So, the Ayoba is an elegant App, but it uses a drawer layout which is a so yesterday design as compared to current IM designs.

However, we expect Ayoba to keep shifting layouts as it blends more features to the App. Recently, the platform confirmed addition of Mobile money transfer from one contact to another effective with its next update.

On the other hand, Ayoba Games are high-rated, almost all Games we tried playing have non-adult story lines and seem tailored for Kids. Though flavours like pool table are available on the list, they don’t translate to good gaming if compared with arcade games like Candy Crush.

All in All, Ayoba is an excellent App, built as an all-in-one companion, and given the fact that it is built by Africans for Africans. The App is one you can install on your Smartphone to securely communicate with your peers, and worry less about data costs since MTN covers 1GB free every month.