Autodesk has entered the enterprise mobile messaging market with Autodesk Instant, a free app for Android and iPhones (no tablets yet) that lets you call or message coworkers, even if they aren’t using the app.
Autodesk is best known for its AutoCAD design software and other 3D apps, so you might think that free messaging software is an odd tangent. But the San Francisco area based company reportedly plans to monetize the app in the future by integrating it with some of its other products.
Unlike other messaging apps, you can send Autodesk Instant messages to people who don’t have the app. Instead, they get your message as an SMS text from an Autodesk phone number and a link to optionally download the app. To get started after installing the app, you enter your phone number and Autodesk texts you a PIN. After you’re logged in, you fill out your user profile with your email address, and coworkers can message you by looking up your email address.
Once inside the app, you have access to standard messaging features like typing alerts, read receipts, and tap-to-call. You can add images, locations, and videos in Autodesk Instant messages. You can create work groups but also add whoever you want to each conversation, and you can even message everyone in your organization if you want to do so.
You can download Autodesk Instant for free on Google Play (Android 3.2 and up) and Apple’s App Store.
