The World's Online Festival
Instant messaging and gaming software
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WOLF (formerly Palringo) is a British messaging and gaming platform that developed the WOLF Qanawat app for iOS, Android,[3][4] and web for Arabic-speaking users in the MENA region. Live audio was prioritized during development.
| WOLF | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Palringo |
| Developer | Palringo Limited |
| Initial release | 2006 |
| Stable release(s) | |
| Operating system | Android 6.0 or later, iOS 14.5 or later |
| Available in | English, Arabic |
| Type | Entertainment |
| Website | wolf |
The name WOLF is an acronym for "The World's Online Festival", reflecting the app's focus on enabling users to provide and experience worldwide live entertainment. The app serves as a platform where people can create audio entertainment shows, communicate with others, and play games. Community members have created thousands of live channels featuring podcast-style shows, game shows, poetry, singing, competitions, and general conversation.
Users create groups where they can send each other images, text, and audio messages. Groups feature a Stage, which provides five live microphone slots for users to chat.[5] In-app purchases of credits[6] can be used to send in-app gifts to other users and get access to additional features and games. Users have a reputation level that increases from actions such as playing chat games or purchasing credits.[7]
WOLF's headquarters is located in London, UK, with branch office locations in Newcastle, UK; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Amman, Jordan.[8][9]
As of 2025, WOLF reported that over 4 million users have used the platform to date, with the community producing over 22,000 live shows per month. WOLF reported that Qanawat had a 98% retention rate of its long-term community, with the average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) equalling more than $150 per month.[10]
In August 2025, WOLF announced it had achieved more than $14 million in revenue, up 11% from 2024.[11]
History
Palringo was developed by Martin Rosinski in 2006. In August 2006, Northstar Ventures invested £650,000 in Palringo.[3][8] Palringo offered a technology (Palringo Local) that allowed users to view the location of their peers by means of their manual position, GPS, triangulation, or estimation based on the internet network connected to by the located user. It used the Google Maps API to show peer locations and also offered a "nearby" section in friends and group lists to show users in close proximity.[12]
- In 2010, Palringo launched an enterprise version of the app, offering private group communication networks to companies.[citation needed]
- In August 2012, Palringo began a shift towards the consumer market. The business model adopted at this time involved selling virtual products such as premium accounts, decorative profile stickers (called Charms), game bots, and functional utilities.[13][14][6]
- Prior to Palringo's rebranding to WOLF, Tim Rea was brought on as CEO. [15][16]
- In 2013, the company launched a charitable initiative aimed at users in the Gulf region during the month of Ramadan, which enabled users to donate Palringo credits through a charity bot. Palringo users raised over US$230,000 for Charity Right and Islamic Relief.[4]
- During Ramadan in 2015, Palringo raised more than $300,000 to be split between Action Against Hunger and Islamic Relief Worldwide.[17]
- In May 2014, Palringo acquired Swedish games developer Free Lunch Design (FLD).[18]
- In May 2015, Palringo acquired Finnish games developer Tribe Studios.[19]
- In 2016, Gary Knight was brought on as CEO. Knight was previously an executive at EA Games and SEGA.
- In late 2019, Palringo introduced Stages, which allowed up to five users to broadcast live audio within their chat group.[5]
- In February 2020, Palringo officially re-branded to The World's Online Festival (WOLF).[20]
- In 2020, WOLF began charity fundraising for Save the Children.[21]
- In August 2023, WOLF released WOLF Virtual Reality (VR) on the Meta Quest platform – a virtual reality experience. WOLF VR was the first VR experience for Middle Eastern audiences offered by an Arabic audio entertainment app.
- In October 2023, WOLF launched Yasmine, a AI virtual assistant.