WhatsApp Messenger is a smartphone messaging app which allows you to exchange messages with your friends and contacts without having to pay for SMS. WhatsApp Messenger is cross platform and available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia (beta) and yes, those phones can all message each other! To send and receive messages, WhatsApp utilizes your existing smartphone internet data plan: 3G/EDGE (or Wi-Fi when available)So, I don't understand what's the appeal?
1. It advertises itself as a cross-platform smartphone messaging app that utilizes your data connection so you don't have to pay for SMS. Every smartphone platform already comes built-in with such an app. It's called email.
2. Let's be honest with ourselves. WhatsApp is an instant messaging application. Every smartphone platform has apps for the main instant messaging applications already (ie, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, AIM, Yahoo, etc)
3. WhatsApp uses your mobile phone number as your user-ID. An instant messaging service provider has no business knowing your mobile number. So, there's actually a privacy/security concern here.
4. WhatsApp is in trial mode for Android. So it's currently free. But it costs US$1 for the iOS and this will certainly be the same for Android soon. Why pay for an app when you already have the functionality native on your device? Who would ever pay just for an instant messaging app? There's not even a desktop client!
In response to the comments:
Using your phone number is the reall clever bit. It means you can instantly see all your friends who also use it instead of having to find out their usernames. It is only an IM app but it's useful because so many people do use it across all platforms.Like I said, using your phone number is a privacy risk. How do we, as users, know what the guys at WhatsApp are doing with all this information? They can be selling it to telemarketers for all we know.
If WhatsApp is useful only because so many people use it across all platforms, then it will never be as useful as email. Email is used by everyone and it's supported on more platforms.
Alot, if not most of the Mobile IM clients are not always on (i.e., working in the background), you need to sign in to WLM or Yahoo! Messenger. WhatsApp is always working in the background therefore you get the message exactly when it is written. Thats a huge selling feature!!Yes, for all IM clients, the user has to sign in. Having to sign in is not a flaw. It's an option the application allows the user. You also have the option to sign out. Also, most IM clients include the option to automatically sign in. (Strange enough, you don't have the option to sign out of WhatsApp.)
With Windows Mobile or Android, once you sign in with your IM client, you just leave it in the background. As long as you don't reboot your phone, you are always signed in. I can't say the same for iOS though. So perhaps, this application is really for iOS users because they can't multitask properly?
I still fail to see how WhatsApp is better than email, which:
- is also instant.
- has no limitation on the type of attachments.
- is a native feature to every smartphone. You don't have to pay for and use a separate application.
- doesn't even require you to "add" a person. Just begin typing the recipients name and every smartphone will autocomplete the field for you if you have that person's email in your contact list. If you don't have the person's email in your contact list, just type the address.
- is not only cross-smartphone platform; it is truly cross-platform. Email can be accessed on smartphones, dumbphones, and computers.
Update
I'm getting multiple comments with various insults over this. They're not published because they're simply not constructive. The main purpose of this article is not to say that WhatsApp is terrible. I'm just trying to say WhatsApp is redundant and I find it odd that people are paying for what's essentially an application that provides you with a functionality they already have. So if anyone has an opposing view, then please, let's discuss because I would be interested to know why exactly is this app so popular.
From the comments so far, I respect the following reasons for using WhatsApp:
- Your contacts list is not populated with email addresses.
- You like the IM-style of WhatsApp but don't like to sign in to other IM apps.
Update #2
Wow. I just realized that WhatsApp on Android is free for the first year and then $1.99 per year thereafter. There's a subscription fee and there are still people who use this? It's just appalling to me that people will pay an annual fee for instant messaging.
Update #3
Lots of comments flooding in about how Whatsapp is better than email because of the IM nature of the app. Ok, I get that. Look through the comments and I've conceded that IM is better than email when it comes to chatting.
The reason I initially use email as a point of reference is because email is native to every single smartphone. There's not a single smartphone that doesn't support push email. If you have to open up your inbox to refresh it to see if you have any new emails, then you've set up your account the wrong way. So if you want to send and receive messages or files instantly, you don't need a third party app for it.
But if IM is your cup of tea, why not stick with Google Talk or Windows Live Messenger? There are numerous reputable IM cients available for free. Why support these guys over at Whatsapp?
Also, the previous argument against using other IM apps is that they drain battery. Not anymore. Both Android and iOS support push messaging background services. In fact, Whatsapp uses the same service.
Update #4
Commentors, please stop comparing Whatsapp with SMS. Whatsapp is not SMS, is not emulating SMS, and has nothing to do with SMS.
Can it replace SMS? Sure, but so can every other IM client out there. And they're free, more secure, and more fully featured.
Is a $1.00 one-time fee or a $1.99 annual-subscription a lot of money? No, not at all. But it's all relative. Consider what you're getting before paying for it. If everyone else is offering the same (and better) product without charging for it, what's the logic in paying for an inferior alternative?
It's like if your neighbor bought an ambulance and decided to announce to everyone that he's going to offer ambulatory services. He'll charge you a few bucks and bring you to the nearest hospital. Sure, it's not a lot of money. But why not just call 911?
Using your phone number is the reall clever bit. It means you can instantly see all your friends who also use it instead of having to find out their usernames. It is only an IM app but it's useful because so many people do use it across all platforms.
ReplyDeleteAlot, if not most of the Mobile IM clients are not always on (i.e., working in the background), you need to sign in to WLM or Yahoo! Messenger. WhatsApp is always working in the background therefore you get the message exactly when it is written. Thats a huge selling feature!!
ReplyDeleteIn response to email vs WhatsApp
ReplyDelete1) All of my friends have my phone number but only 10% of them knows my email address
2) Many of my friends have multiple email addresses (personal and company accounts) and they don't monitor all of them. For instance, Gmail doesn't support push or notification on iPhone in early stage, many of my friends who use gmail shift to Yahoo and no longer monitor their old gmail account. They won't notify all of their friend of new email address.
3) Lastly, I don't want to give out my company email address to non-business associate.
The only problem I see is what to do when I do not want temporarily to receive any messages from whosapp-persons. I work a lot, my contacts have also whatsapp and contact me at any time. Whatsapp does not habe the simple option "go offline" or so...
ReplyDeleteI found whatsapp a really awesame tool, its great, I dont have to pay all the money I spent sending SMS and I dont have to load heavy applications like Skype or MSN Messenger to try to find the contacts online to let them know something. Imagine if everyone uses Whatsapp? You would even lower your phone rates because sometimes you just have to say a couple of things to your contacts, and they are all in your Agenda. I have on my mobile over 1000 contacts, of course I dont speak with all of them, but certainly I have all my friends as contacts if all of them shall use Whatsapp, we would be connected much easier, for instance I am now asking how a friend in another country is instead of having to pay an international sms that would cost around 0,20 cents (USD) in my country.
ReplyDeleteI've been asking myself the very same question and I agree; Whatsapp appears to me to be a totally unnecessary addition. I'm trying out a whole bunch of technologies at the moment and was amazed to hear so many people recommending whatsapp. My contacts list has 660 people in it (almost all of them with email addresses) and only four of them have whatsapp.
ReplyDeleteI use gmail (with my real, non-gmail address) and it pushes emails and is running anyway.
And now they've got my phone number.
Uninstalling.
¿And have you read the privacy conditions? They could modify them without advertising. The user is who must re-read them from time to time and watch for changes... :S
ReplyDeleteSo if they want, tomorrow they will put in privacy conditions that they will sell your data and send spam to you and ALL YOUR CONTACTS and you are fucked.
Whatsapp has its pros and cons. The only thing I do like is the free international sms. I could email, but I would have to text the recipient that I've emailed or wait for them to get around to going online to check the email. Pointless no?
ReplyDeleteThe worst most disconcerting fact is how I can't select who I have in my whatsapp contact list. I have numbers saved of people I'm avoiding (so I know not to pick up when they call). I don't want to give them yet another way of contacting me! And even if you 'block' them, they still have access to your status. There is no way to delete a contact once whatsapp is installed.
To avoid drama, I think I'll just delete it and deal with men in my area code instead of international romances.
If anyone finds a solution, please do share!
You can block any contacts you dont want to whatsapp you.
DeleteYes, but after they write you. In other IMs anybody must be accepted as contact by you to be able to write you.
DeleteQuoting Bluebird's comment:
ReplyDelete"I could email, but I would have to text the recipient that I've emailed or wait for them to get around to going online to check the email. Pointless no?"
If a phone is capable of running WhatsApp, it's capable of push email. Push email means the email arrives instantly and depending on your device's notification settings you don't need to manually "go online to check the email" to know you've received an email.
Actually, this may be why people use WhatsApp over email. I suppose most people don't know how to set up push email.
i totally agree to the 4th reason of anonymous from 12/7.
ReplyDeletethe feeling is just kinda different...
but most imprtant point for me, i'm able to use emoji ^^, having lived in japan for a year, i kinda got attached to it
I uninstalled whatsapp... but I still appear as a contact on other whatsapp users' contacts list... they end up sending me messages without know I don't even have it... is there a way to take myself off their contact lists?
ReplyDeletehad no time to read all the comments, but there is also not so good feature. That people can find and text you, even you deleted them years beofre from your life. the person can still reach you, as long as she has still your number in the phone contact, and can spam you full if she want to. I used whatsapp on my iPhone and I will use it on my windows phone too, not because I love it. But people writes me, in thinking that I have whatsapp. So like the Bloger says there is only a signin and never signout possibility. Push still comes to my old phone, even whatsapp is not installed.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. I bought it on my iphone because of all the hype and I took for granted that I could use to SMS *anyone* over the Internet and they'd provide me with whatever gateways are necessary to get my message through. Now I realized that I am only able to IM to smart phones which as you say is superfluous since every smart phone user I care about is either on MSN, Skype or gtalk and I have access to all of them on my smartphone. Again: TOTALLY AGREE!
ReplyDeleteI’m very concerned about privacy issues with this app. I was fullish enough to give them my personal phone number, but then it got to me - even if i wouldn't give them, all those people who are using whatsapp and have my number in there phone book already gave it away.
ReplyDeleteCan it constitute as robbery? No, really, can (assuming ones will) it be brought to court?
quoting Jason
ReplyDelete"Actually, this may be why people use WhatsApp over email. I suppose most people don't know how to set up push email."
This is probably a reason. My mom has an email adress from her own domain and she has no idea how to set up pushmail on her android.
Another reason is probably that whatsapp, unlike mail, puts all messages from the same person in one thread. And you can easily reply on it.
It's like a crossbreed between pushmail and IM. Like pushmail it uses almost no battery, the message should arrive at the recipient at the exact moment you send it, you can also send a message if the recipient won't be able to get the message instantly and it totally has the interface of IM, which a lot of people like. They added that you can see if the message has already arrived at the phone of the recipient in the case his/her phone is off or has no signal.
It's a crossbreed with the best functionality from both to accomplish free "texting" between smartphones.
PS for smartphones a lot of IM apps are paid, or have paid versions. So it's not strange that you would have to pay for it.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI have currently installed Whatsapp, however was wondering if someone does not have my number in their phone, can I still see them in my whatsapp contact list.... is it solely based on my address book.
Quick comment.. if you think Whatsapp is so useless, surely you have never sent a txt message in your life. Do you know how much revenue the cell phone service providers are loosing due to the likes of Whatsapp? that money, you the user has saved.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteWhatsapp is so useless because there are much better alternatives that are free too (if you are already paying 3G data plan).
I never said I thought Whatsapp is useless. I said that it's redundant. If you believe Whatsapp is so brilliant, surely you have never used push email or IM on your phone. Do you know how much revenue the developers of Whatsapp are making? That money, you the user has wasted.
ReplyDeletefor 99cents u can instantly send pictures, sound clips, contact, location and needless to say location. the software isn't created to emulate push email. it's veering towards the convinience path. instead of 2 to 3 steps taken to send something through email u only need one or two steps shorter for whatsapp. are you gonna argue against - email is AS convinient as whatsapp?
ReplyDeleteperhaps u don't see any value in that and the company isn't targeting your segment anyway. not every culture are accustomed to chat through email. maybe it's your culture to rant on every product u felt money is wasted on?
Applications like whatsapp produce segmentation, it's only compatible with herself. There is a lot of new similar applications all of them only compatible with themselves: Whatsapp, Pingchat, Kik Messenger, Live Profile, Belgua Messenger, ChatPLus, Pmessenger, Pinch, Cnectd... Some people like ones, other ones others... ¡It's a mess!
ReplyDeleteGtalk or push mail are open standards implemented for a lot more platforms including computers and even fridges.
Whatsapp have a very bad privacy politic, the worst of all these apps. They get all your monile agenda!
I won't use it even if they'd PAY me 99 cents.
Convenience and security is always at odds. However, the security implications seem to outweigh it's convenience, in my opinion. I haven't seen anyone giving it a thorough security review, and I don't see any mention on security in their website.
ReplyDelete- Does it use SSL?
- Are my SMS and other contents encrypted end-to-end?
- I don't want their employees seeing my messages (ok, you can argue the Telco can see your sms, google can see your email, etc, but why expose to another extra party?)
I see its usefulness when abroad, but I would just use something like Skype Mobile or Meebo which provide secure connection (especially on open WiFi)
The REAL reason why WhatsApp is popular is because there are many idiots out there who are lazy. WhatsApp automate most of the function.
ReplyDeleteIt is really only the iOS users who would die for it.
Skype on my Android works fine, does not eat up battery like iOS counter parts, and I can use it on my computer as well. I don't have to always be on a mobile phone.
What really ticked me off about WhatsApp is that it keeps trying to auto-sync with my contact list. I already have xxx's number in my contact, why does WhatsApp have to put it's ugly green icon there and, the phone number in there again?
I space my numbers out, 123-456-789. It's easier to view. The last thing I need is a redundant piece of software. It's annoying that it's running on my background and I can't even uninstall it... (since it came pre-installed on my mobile)
*rant off*
The advantage is (despite security concerns) it just made it so easy to use with your existing phonebook. The downside is no control of the connection. (only above average users will know how to use a task manager and terminate its process). gives bad battery life (always on) And I agree that majority of IOS users love it for some reason. Until they allow you to control logging in/out or new batteries come out that last 2 days with full connectivity it might have a future.
ReplyDeleteMy contacts database on my phone has a lot of other information that isn't just names & phone numbers: I keep some passwords, bank account numbers, and the problem is that blocking WhatsApp from certain contacts is inconvenient if not impossible (impossible on Symbian, last time I checked - it's all contacts access, or nothing at all). Also, WhatsApp won't let you go even after you uninstall ie. you continue to be identified to others as a WhatsApp user. This is based on my recollection when I was taking a careful look at WhatsApp in April. So it's potentially misleading to others. Ultimately, this app is not for me, based almost purely on privacy/information security issues.
ReplyDeleteAt first, I really liked my Whatapps which I have been wanting for. ( I had an Ipod Touch4 which is not compatible to Whatsapp). Then, I figured that out the security loophole. Someone can use my phone number to register Whatsapp. Assuming someone knows my phone number and my friend's phone number. He/She can actually "steal" my identity. I think this is very risky. I am giving it a second thought to it.
ReplyDeleteThere's already a dozen of applications that do the same, but respecting privacy, but also with closed protocols. And there's also google-talk (integrated in all Androids) and Facebook-chat (just have to configure a Jabber (also called XMPP, Google-talk uses the same protocol) account in one of the lot of programs that support it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way Google-talk have a good voice conversation support.
How to configure facebook-chat (select Other for a generic steps for other applications (like ones from mobiles):
http://www.facebook.com/sitetour/chat.php
read their terms and policy. it's also create log
ReplyDeleteI don't get why people complain that uninstalling the application keeps you in the contact list of other users. It's just like giving a phone number to someone means they can call you. The app also provides other users with a last seen date. Your contact will therefore know that you haven't signed in i a while or that your not active on whatsapp. How about blocking your entire list of phonenumbers before you uninstall..
ReplyDeletePersonally I like the app..
Easier than e-mail..
Doesn't use that much power..
Available on every platform..
Problem with "reputable" IM's.. high battery consumption.. necessity to be signed in.
Here.. If your phone is on.. Your available.
Don't like it? De-install it. Why would you keep something you don't like because your friends have it (an argument multiple people have raised) That has got to be the strangest argument ever. Your still choosing to accomodate those friends..
Appart from the kiddy problems whatsapp still has..(non secured connections.. idiotic hijacking problem).. it is easier to use that e-mail. Most of my friends don't check their e-mail every second. And if there's something sensitive to discuss.. I would not e-mail it anyway... Just meet up in person.. So also no whatsapp..
People your phone has an off button.
Whatsapp can be deinstalled..
finally someone said it
ReplyDeleteWake up people, whatsapp application is redundant and has no important features, on the opposite, one should be allowed to choose who he wants to chat with and when he decides to log out. You have alot of old friends that you have their number for a need basis and you would never wanna chat with them
I use whatsapp when I am away from work, as far some reason the mail app doesn't like the wireless internet connection that we have. However whatsapp does this means I stay in touch with my family and friends at no extra cost.
ReplyDeleteAlso I do not have all my friends email address and as for the ones I do have they do not monitor them all the time. Some of them don't even have them linked to their smartphone.
I can't use my push up email here in France unless I pay extra 9€/month. Ditto for BB messenger. I've a gmail application that does the job nicely but I can't use it to send photos or attachements from my phone. Just simple text. I've friends who live abroad and I'd have to pay extra for sms and mms so I use this application for a quick chat and sending photos. Email can never replace instant chat, that's utter nonsense.
ReplyDeleteThe only issue I have with this application is the non-existing sign in/out function. I'm just about to travel abroad for a few weeks and although the whatsapp guys think it's marvelous to be connected 24/7 - I don't fancy raking up huge phone bills for some application checking constantly for messages. This makes me kind of angry because it takes the liberty of decision from me and I've to look at different ways to avoid this issue.
I wish I read this before I installed the thing. I fail to see how this is better than skype mobile for chat or email for pictures and other stuff.
ReplyDeleteUninstalled.
I just use it due to its popularity with friends overseas.. though another IM app would work as well--just not as popular with them.
ReplyDeleteWhatapps is very different from email. Email has lots of important info and attachment in the storage space. It is used to send longer and more important message. Whatapps is for quick inform.
ReplyDeleteEmail needs to be organized. It is categorized by events instead of chatting with people. I don't wanna send a whole bunch of short message to my friends because It will make my email messy. Whatapps is simple because I use it to do thing lightly.
Email require 5 more clicks to send a message. 5 more clicks is too much in this busy world.
Whatapps links to GPS and photo album. Using email will take too much effort to do the same thing.
Whatapps is instant. You can see them typing, make corrections. it feels different.
I do not understand the hype on whatsapp either. It does not make any sense to me either. It is a dumb app....perfect for apple users!!
ReplyDeleteI was initially planning to try Whatsapp, but after reading this thread I've decided probably not. To me, Whatsapp seems to be just another instant messenger, one that requires you to pay at that. Right now, the only reason why I might use Whatsapp is if my entire network of friends used it, because at the end of the day, we just want to be connected.
ReplyDeleteWhatsapp will never displace SMS. The appeal of SMS is that it can reach your phone through your service provider and not just through wi-fi. Thus, SMS can be sent to anywhere at anytime. And face it, right now wi-fi is still no where near as available as your cell phone service provider.
I can understand why you don't understand why people use the app when you have to pay for it. I'm still in the first free year and so far I have nearly no complaints except for the fact you cannot delete a contact. It is useful as most people here in South Africa use it as a cheaper replacement to SMS if they have a phone capable of using Whatsapp (R0.01 versus R0.60).
ReplyDeleteI have an Android phone and it useful to connect to Blackberry (most popular smartphone here in S.A) users without sending them an SMS as they always connected so you know they will get it immediately unlike many other IM apps where you sign out eventually. Also the effort of obtaining someone's userID and manually adding them bugs me, while Whatsapp allows you to refresh your contact list which only takes a few seconds to get all your contacts.
Finally, just a quick comment on the email side of things. As other people have said, I don't enjoy having my inbox cluttered with messages from friends (that's what a phone is for). It takes longer to send an email and requires more data therefore making it more expensive in the long run. Regarding Google Talk, not all my friends that I want to talk to have gmail accounts and I don't have most of their email addresses even they did so that would require me to collect all of those before I could have the same functionality.
thınk whatsapp like facebook its a source of information. Who knows what they send to each other. For example you can be flagged because of the words you use because all your messages gets processed through the server and then it passes it to the recıever. You can be flagged religously polıtıcally also ıdeologıcally Think of it as it can be used as a web of intelligence
ReplyDeletewho wants to use whatzapp instead of email now??
This is not a big company with strict rules like blackberry which has bbm.
Its just an app company...
Dear Jason, to perhaps understand your own question "why is whatsapp any different to e-mail" you should ask yourself two questions
ReplyDelete1. Does Whats App promote replacement for e-mail or SMS?
2. Why has SMS (even till today) happily existed alongside e-mails.
A little while ago MMS was introduced which is basically SMS with media (pictures and videos e.t.c.)
There is the need to be able to send short messages from mobile to mobile (occasionally containing a picture video or a smiley) and Whatsapp does this perfectly with a one off cost rather than a per message cost which saves the user a lot of money.
e-mail is quite an overkill for "where are you".. "How was your day" ... "lets all meet in oxford circus in ten minutes"
It is the whole reason why things like bbm exist and are so popular.
But nonetheless, you may have a point is there a security issue with this? But you could ask the same about your network provider, how much information do they hold about you and all the texts you send? Harder to intercept maybe, but they probably hold just as much if not more than the guys at whatsapp.
I was prompted by a friend to install Whatsapp and I told her kind of the same thing that you propose here: I already have e-mail, we have each other e-mail addresses, so we can use that.
ReplyDeleteShe insisted, so I searched the Android Market for this Whatsapp thingy. When it showed me the permission list for my approval, I was flabbergasted! This thing needs all sorts of permissions, just for IM? I don't think so!
Modify secure system settings? WTF for?
Receive SMS? Isn't it supposed to *replace* SMS? Then why receive them?
My location? What the hell for? Tracking me?
Record audio? Well, maybe for audio messages. You know what else kicks ass for transmitting audio? A cellphone. Which I already have.
I Googled the thing to see if I was becoming a Luddite or if anybody else thought the same as me. That is how I landed here.
I agree with Jason. I think this is a superfluous application - I have an Android phone so I have GTalk, an MSN Messenger client, and I can always download Skype, which I trust more because I've been using it for years. Or if I want an integrated IM platform I can always download Trillian. The permission list is scary. No IM app should have this much access to my phone/contacts/locations.
For 2 commenters,
ReplyDelete"Whatapps links to GPS and photo album. Using email will take too much effort to do the same thing."
Q: How is that a good thing? They know where I am and what I look like. I am paranoid. And I am a man. Imagine a woman installing this. No good.
"But nonetheless, you may have a point is there a security issue with this? But you could ask the same about your network provider, how much information do they hold about you and all the texts you send?"
There are federal laws and regulations that govern network providers and what they can and cannot do. At least here in the U.S. Not so for software and their creators. I know network providers read my e-mail *hello NSA!* but why give a third party unlimited access to my smartphone?
One word: international. It is the closest thing to SMS (quick bursty messages that pop up without having to sign in) and you don't get charged for each message. Have lotsa friends all over the world? whatsapp!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am happy to see writer about the whatsapp concern. I am Anti-whatsapp. Better say I do not agree to use Phone number as a unique ID. It is your privacy and u need to protect it.
ReplyDeletePlease don't compare whatsapp to Email, IM. Whatsapp app is better in chat/group chat. That why it is very popular. But there are many alternative like Pingchat, Kik, Yak messenger.... which actually do the same thing, with your assigned ID. No, don't use an app which ask your phone number to register. Using phone number may get u feel more convenient to start with. But it is not hard to look for friends ID in other similar app.
Javier Ortega Conde , thanks reply but i don't get what u agree and disagree with me.
ReplyDeleteI don't care if whatsapp is a jabber server or how it compare to email, IM. My concern is: It uses phone number as ID, which is a privacy concern. Period.
There are many others good similar app like Pingchat, Kik, Yak messenger which allow user defined ID.
I agree with the privacy big problem. I disagree with the idea of whatsapp being not the same that IM.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, pingchat and others respect privacy but are closed networks too. I prefer google-talk, facebook... because you could use it with any program that support jabber ( = xmpp), from mobiles, PCs, or even fridges XD
The author is coming across as someone with an agenda against the Whatsapp people.
ReplyDeleteYou ask the question about why use Whatsapp when there is google talk, msn messenger, etc. It is quite simple:
1. Why not? why should someone download and use any other those other things. There is no logic in saying why choose x, just choose y.
2. Whatsapp does not require you to set up an account. Yes, there are drawbacks to this but every decision has pros and cons.
3. Execution of app programs can vary on different mobile oses. MSN Messenger works better on BBs. Not as good on iOS.
4. Whatsapp is on many OSes now - iOS, BB, Android, Symbian S40 & S60 and should make it onto WP7.
I have never had to pay for it on my Android phone. But is $1.99 too much to ask? Really?
hi,
ReplyDeleteI wld like to check does the 'call' found in whatsapp tat able us to call our friends directly charged? or isit the same as viber using wifi calling?
ty
While its almost redundant when you already have stuff like GTalk, WLM etc.. but this is more convenient. You do not have to sign in all the time, it works in the background etc.
ReplyDeleteBut, what does this do that the free Facebook Messenger or Google Voice do not do?
For my needs (and I'm pretty active on IM), Facebook Messenger and Google Voice are more than enough.
At least buying bottled water doesn't reduce your information security... Ignoring the fact that the global bottled water scam consumes a colossal amount of energy...
ReplyDeleteYou have to give it to them, its a great exercise in marketing over substance: "Its only 1.99 a year!" The fact that there are vast hordes of lazy, tech-ignorant phone users who value convenience over virtually anything else in their lives does diminish the achievement though, somewhat.
Rits, I don't know with other clients, but in N900 with integrated client, and with Pidgin, and in Android with integrated one you haven't to "sign in all the time". When connected they autosign. And they work in the background.
ReplyDeleteAs other people stated, I think the popularity of whatsapp can be explained by two factors:
ReplyDelete1) it has a cool name
2) More similar to SMS than other IM programs (due to the 'phone number' ID). You don't have to add anyone, if you have them in yor contact list you can text them... This is convenient for traditional phone users. On the contrary, I'm more of a computer guy so I prefer the ability of receiving the messages when I want to and in the device I want to.
The problem is that there are several security concerns that were published on securitybydefault.com (as Javier Ortega knows, I read a comment by him x)
I think the main reasons why people chat using whatsapp rather than email is because:
ReplyDeleteWe receive several other mails, and if we are chatting, and we use email for that, we are going to receive lots of spam mails on top of the useful mails and it's going to be a pain sorting them out and clearing them.
The post could have been rewritten comparing whatsapp with other IM; it will be a more apt comparison then. I personally don't know why whatsapp is so popular on phones, and not IM. The reason why I use whatsapp and not IM on my smartphone is only because everyone else uses it, so I just join in the crowd. Maybe when whatsapp was available initially, IM on smartphones weren't that fully established yet, or were more troublesome to launch etc. I'm not sure. Or maybe whatsapp was more popular because it's based on cellphone contacts rather than email addresses. These are just theories though, I might be wrong.
Informative blog and comments. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI also didn't understand the excitement about WhatsApp. After reading the article and browsing through some comments I see my initial assessment confirmed: it's just another commercial scheme to sucker people into a subscription. Looking at it, I see just a redundant app with marginal added value to most and a liability for anyone appreciating their privacy. Just another hype, which will probably blow over soon to be replaced by the next one.
simple yet analytical article written by jason. congrats. i have the same opinion and tried talking to people but they just wouldn't listen coz they don't want to. the whatsapp site mentions the below with an ambiguity without answering how its different than inbuilt sms facility. its nothing more than an email or instant messenger.
ReplyDeleteby reading carefully one can clearly understanding that its no big deal except a marketing strategy.
WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messenger that replaces SMS and works through the existing internet data plan of your device.
the site says.
How is WhatsApp Messenger different from SMS?
SMS is an older messaging system with a limited functionality and high cost. WhatsApp Messenger aims to provide more at a lower cost. We are sure you and your friends will figure out the difference between SMS and WhatsApp Messenger very quickly.
your security is on the line.
regards
ravi chandra
This app does group SMS, which was its primary selling feature for me. It makes arranging impromptu events simple, such as online gaming, movies or something like that.
ReplyDeleteWhy would they replace IM with whatsapp? easy: remember you're selling to retarded cattle. They couldn't be bothered to find an IM client, they couldn't be bothered to configure it, they couldn't be bothered to use some interface not resembling the sms thingy. Cattle are willing to pay for things like that. See the positive side of it, they've now all left windows messenger and won't bother you with pointless conversations that make you waste tons of time unless you install that cancer, whatsapp, which you won't, right? Just look at the permissions, it's outright spyware!
ReplyDeleteThe arguments people have raised in favor of Whatsapp is, in one word, ridiculous. Whatsapp is nothing by another IM service like Jason rightfully put it. It is the WLM, Y!, Gtalk etc of the smartphone world.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing which Whatsapp can do that your WLM client or other IM clients cannot do. Many third party "FREE" multi-IM clients have push message technology with which you do not need to stay signed in and can exit the app. Battery does not drain.
You can share pics, files, voice clips....the works. There is nothing special about Whatsapp.
The only difference between Whatsapp and other IM clients is that it charges you for using it.
One look at their advertisement shows what deception they exhibit to the ignorant masses. "Free SMS"....it is not SMS..its instant message. It requires internet just like any other IM does..and if you are on data plan..its not free at all.
Not to forget, your friend can have Y! and still "SMS" you on your WLM client. Everyone does not need to PAY for the same app.
I had uninstall WhatsApp on my android.
ReplyDeleteTechnically: It used a lot of my internal memory especially on app update. The size will grow bigger and bigger. Last time it used 8mb from frist install 4mb.
Personally I love it:
1. Custom Background.
2. Group Chat.
3. Line (sentence) delete on chat (liveprofile won't do this).
4. Line (sentence) copy paste. (YM won't do this).
5. Cross platform (need this).
6. Multi line ("enter" key keyboard for next line).
Now I move to liveprofile and waiting google+, google talk, facebook chat (beluga??), and samsung chaton.
YM?? I hate it. It can't have "next line". It looks like YM created by someone that doesn't do texting. Poor APP.
too much whinging about the fee. its 2 bucks a year. i earn that in a day bitches.
ReplyDeleteSearch for a better job. For example being a bitch will give you much more money in a day XD.
ReplyDeleteThere is also sites in internet wich pay you for your private data and with a much greater respect for your and your contacts' privacy than whatsapp.
jason, you are the only one who understands me.
ReplyDeleteAm I insane here? Why are you people comparing it to email? How about "whats the point of installing something that you already have on your phone" (text messaging). Someone with an iphone actually told me to download whatsapp just now. She couldnt comprehend that its literally identical to iphone text messaging. Neither of us pay for SMS. She jst repeated "everyone has it!" ... i think this was the point of the blogger. Not whether its better than ... EMAIL ? hello? Compare apples and apples here ... Every phone already has text messaging. Therefore nobody needs what's app.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing this. I had similar thoughts and figured I just didn't understand the service. This was a good overview of what WhatsApp provides and compares it to other options. If someone feels giving away their mobile number is worth the tradeoff (instead of using a 'normal' IM client), then they can do that... not for me though.
ReplyDeletethanks,
ian
hi
ReplyDeletei think you are wrong compairing whatsapp to an email. it's more of an sms/mms service! same nature, same functionality.. no, not the same, it can do more. and it's more preferable to pay once a year 2$, then at least 20c for an sms. it uses push, more or less like sms, so you get the messages even when the app is not running (VERY good for battery, which is a great concern with modern smartphones.)
i use it parallel to jabber and quit satisfied with it.
This was very helpful. Thanks for setting a few queries straight :-)
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree plus:
ReplyDelete* eMail has no central instance which could fail - so it's much more reliable
* with eMail if you trust the recipient's mail server it's harder to intercept. whatsapp knows about and can log every message sent over their network - a security desaster
* eMail, live messenger (with simp), jabber (natively) can be encrypted - what's with whatsapp here??
as already mentioned above, why dont people send emails instead of text messages? I think that most people are not used to this kind of quick communication yet and prefer the efficiency of text messaging. Whatsapp looks like text messaging, which is, in my opinion, the reason it is so appealing to most users. If you now consider the costs of text messages and compare them to the 1.99 one time fee of whatsapp, text messaging is a lot more expensive in the long run. I completely understand your arguments for IM and Email, but neither of these features are similar to SMS, which is most probably what people appreciate about Whatsapp. A quick and easy way to write texts.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing about whatsapp is that it renders the blackberry service obsolete. Why need this service if you have whatsapp?
ReplyDeleteNot only that, whatsapp makes the SMS service obsolete.
I agree with Jason. Recently my friend asked me to use whatsapp and I asked the same question - is it very different from gtalk? No answer! I don't like my smartphone loaded with duplicate apps...
ReplyDeleteSMS works without internet connection. Whatsapp doesn't, and so does any other IMs out there. Apart from the ability to use it without creating an account, i fail to see how whatsapp is different than other IMs.
ReplyDeleteJason,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog because I share the exact same view as yours and was wondering if others feel the same.
Alas, we are the minority. The way WhatsApp positioning itself against SMS is grossly misleading if not irrelevant.
But in any case, it is the most popular chat system among your friends that win - sadly.
It was one of those things that i would have completely sided with you IF i hadn't used it myself.
ReplyDeleteHere's a few observations i've made since using it.
1. it's technically SMS/MMS but data. Whatsapp is really designed for short snappy msgs that can be bounced around like IM and SMS, BUT unlike SMS there is no extra charge for sending out msgs to friends in different countries.
2. images, email does images fine for the most part but it usually sends a large file, Whatsapp will send a lower resolution file designed to be seen on mobiles, saving data.
3. privacy. You bring up a very good point about giving a company your telephone number is a security risk, BUT from my experience and i have no found it yet, but the whatsapp account is LINKED to the phone you assign it to and cannot be accessed on any other phone but that phone unless someone steals your sim card.
There's other things like quick access to send voice memos and stuff. but you'll notice that whatsapp isn't really used on blackberry due to BBM and is becoming less common on IOS due to iMessage (but is still widely used).
Whatsapp has it problems but it's just a nice streamlined interface that brings together the best parts of email (multimedia) and IM/SMS (short messaging) in a simple package.
I like what's app cuz its more convenient on an email u still have to hit refresh and frankly I would like to know a message right away of I get one. The phone numberidea is brilliant because one dosent have to add contacts once u take down someone's number what's app just adds it which is more convienient. Why do something when the app does it for you?
ReplyDeleteSonowake,
ReplyDelete1- Just like any other IM program.
2- Google talk use jabber protocol but optimized for sending less data, and then, obviously consuming less battery. Whatsapp use jabber too but modified and made incompatible with other jabber apps. It doesn't resize photos, you cand send any size file. You can talk with voice (not a voice memo, a COMPLETE conversation and even with video (in N900 with Maemo since the terminal was created and in Android since last versions).
3- You also give ALL YOUR CONTACTS' MOBILE NUMBERS to Whatsapp Inc. and maybe one day they will decide to sell all those phones to spammers. Sincerely I don't want it for me and neither for my friends. Some of them uses whatsapp and gtalk. Some only whatsapp. I prefer to pay an SMS or call to whatsapp-only users.
I just learned about WhatsApp today, and I wanted to tell you, I had the EXACT same reaction as you. It is a pointless, redundant app that is geared toward taking advantage of technically ignorant people, and that I find to be utterly disgusting. I encourage everyone to stick to open, standards-compliant XMPP instant messaging solutions such as Google Talk, Jabber, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt's simple:
ReplyDeleteWhatsapp emulates the experience of SMS messaging - for free (data plan, yes.) Picture messages are free (sure, data plan.)
What's the point of quoting Google Talk etc as alternatives, Gtalk is primarily android.
I myself use whatsapp for a few months now and it has its pros and cons ofcourse , but i agree more to the fact that there are more cons. there a better alternatives , i dont know where the fuzz is all about cause there are better programmed ims. I have peeps that just contacted me out of nowhere cause some other person gave them my phone number and i never talk to them anymore , nor do i have them in my phonebook. to delete them from the contact list i have to reinstall the app , but i use an android and it asks me to set back all the old conversations. (although this might be an feature of whtassapp itself , i dont know) wich is indeed handy cause you still have peeps u do still talk to , 1 and 1 is 2 so u can guess al these contacts i was trying to delete get back too. talking about email. most phones are 'smart' these days and when u put on your phone for the first time it wil ask u to set it up and all the stuff u want added to it especialy when it omes to androids. email is not as a hassle as it used to be , the phone has 90% of the time , and especialy when it comes to standard email accounts like hotmail or gmail the right config to just fill in your email and password and gogogo. also i think you are in a sort of extra danger when it comes to virusses , we are talking about smart phones so phones will get more catchy to virusses more and more and a virus could use whatsapp to sweep trough your contact list and spam them , although there are maybe not known situations yet as of today ... also most phones has build in ims like social hub (wich has the normal the standard features like being able to delete a contact) like on my samsung gs2 wich alrdy has running processes , so installing an im like whatsapp would just be nothing more then an extra load on your battery .... , realy i can break my head over this issue that it cannot and is not able to delete contacts normally like any other IM out there , sadly and badly half baked programming/thinking work by the person who made it and it had alot of credits for no reason , i hope the hype is over soon cause there is no reason why someone would/should spend money on it , the real site says that after a year of use you should pay 2 bucks for it , pff the nerves ....
ReplyDeleteJason, I agree to all your points. But the reason of the success of Whatsapp it that it's just easier to install whatsapp than a mail account. Install, put your number, and it works. And in that sense, its similar to SMS, just works out of the box.
ReplyDeleteICQ was better than MSN, but MSN was so obiquous here in Argentina, all my pals had it, i had to make the switch as well. The same aplies with SA, i used to use KIK which actually tells you if the message was read (not just "delivered"), but here in Argentina WA has a lot of advertisement by mobile operators. Resistance is futile. :(
And BTW, i also was concerned about the price, but they seem to re renewing the free license yearly.
I completely agree, WhatsApp is nothing special.
ReplyDeletedaily 1 billion messages are sent on WhatsApp.
ReplyDeleteit works on all smartphones - blackberry, symbian, android, iphone.
its instant, its always on.
5 stars!
I don't see ANY need, as every modern smartphone has threaded Mail-conversations and an instant-messenger on board.
ReplyDeleteXMPP/Jabber is the standard for chat, and I can attach everything from my phone to an email. So... nope.
Ryo Cook is right ..
Deleteand there are a lot more apps like whatsapp (kakao talk ....)
do i have to install all if some friends have other messengers? an keep all apps in ram? really?
with jabber no problem
everyone can use the client he wants an they can chatt with everybody
and whatsapp wants money ..(android) after one year .. jabber is free
Plain and simple. You can't assume everybody has an email address. For those IM clients such as GTalk, WLM, etc. everyone are forced to create an email address and sometimes you just don't want to use your email address for IM. The privacy concerns regard to the use of the cellphone number as the username are irrelevant, because is easier to track someone on the internet by using their email address than by using the cellphone number. In the other hand, in case you are being harrased by someone thru the cellphone, is easier for legal authorities to do an investigation and properly identify the real person that the telephone number belongs to than trying to identify someone by the email account. The email accounts are more often used to create user accounts on websites than using phone numbers, so the privacy concerns while using email account as username are greater than when using the cellphone number for Whatsapp. Plus, you have to add to the fact that when someone has your cellphone number on his cellphone contact list is mainly because you decided to be on contact with that person. In case you don't want to be contacted by someone on your Whatsapp list, all you have to do is block the contact.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many phone numbers you have, me only one. And I have 4 emails accounts, and could create 10.000 more for free if I am afraid of tracking. I receive spam by email, and sometimes by SMS. I don't want to receive much more spam by SMS or IMs.
DeleteWhatsapp have all the numbers of your phonebook and could sell that data to spammers. ¿Does they all have "whatsapp inc." as a friend in the phonebook? ¬¬
Javier i agree, google and apple need to fill the privacy loophole which actually allows apps to upload your address book without permission.
DeleteRecently some apps have came under the spotlight for this, some other apps just ask for permission under the guise of " find friends".
If one company sold that list to data miners, who then sold it on to a spammer who then sold it on to countless other spammers, imagine all the sms junk.
Sorry i take privacy seriously.
at least in general you can trust Microsoft with your data well at least way more than a small unknown entity called whats app.
Jason, i'm going to be one that agrees with you. Just look at the permissions!!! here's one that I will quote... "directly call phone numbers
ReplyDeleteAllows the application to call phone numbers without your intervention. Malicious applications may cause unexpected calls on your phone bill. Note that this does not allow the application to call emergency numbers."
Now tell me this is "normal"....I think NOT! I'm not about to let another app take over my phone!
It's funny how marketing always gets a lot of stupid ignorant people. Yes, stupid and ignorant. Whatsapp is just another IM apps / chat program, period.
ReplyDeleteJust because they marketed it with "no more paying for sms/mms", less tech savvy users think it is a replacement to sms/mms. And they don't want to accept that many other chat programs are capable of doing that too!
It IS THE SAME as many chat program out there. The different is.. it uses phone number as user-ID, so people will think that's convenient/simple/easy. Alas, it is now support iPod (which doesn't even have phone number, but email address). And it support only 1 protocol, their own (don't know if they now also run through other protocol). Unlike IM+, Fring, etc. Which support many IM protocol (and also multiplatform, even on desktop) like YM, Jabber, GTalk, MS Messenger.
The problem is there are millions of people actually don't know how it works and they all mislead by marketing hype. It makes other people unknowingly forced to use this app because they want to be cool and be part of "Social Circle", whatever that means.
Can't agree any more. Whatsapp is no more than IM. Why is it popular? because it costs new users $0.99. Every users act as virus to propaganda it to maximize their own interests. Without connectors, they looks stupid to spend $0.99 to get a redundant app, which can be replaced by tons of free similar apps.
DeleteIt will be nothing if it was free. What a smart marketing strategy!
I still to this day don't understand the mentality of whatsapp. They claim it replaces SMS and like many have said; many IMs can do this, heck you can even send SMSs from IMs too.
ReplyDeleteThere are two advantages of whatsapp for me: I don't have to pay for international SMS and its instant and I don't have to remember to start skype after rebooting the phone.
I don't like the phone number tagging as your user ID not because of privacy, but because you simply can't use the same account on another phone, what if I want to be able to talk to the same contacts on my world/global phone and on my US only phone?
If whatsapp was truly meant to replace SMS why can't I send an SMS to someone who doesn't have whatsapp? They say it REPLACES SMS!!!! So LET ME SEND SMS dammit! Its no different than the native SMS service, whatsapp HAS my PHONE NUMBER so let those who aren't using whatsapp send ME SMS as they would normally!
Yeah sure whatsapp has its conveniences but as I was saying its not easily usable like other apps such as skype where I can use it on more than one phone, or google voice, etc.
I got on whatsapp during the beta, so I don't have to pay anything until 2020 assuming it survives that long; I am still disappointed with the non-ability to use it on more than one phone (although I found a trick to it, and it does work). I ported the phone number attached to my whatsapp account to google voice, when whatsapp would send the SMS it would come back and whatsapp would read it even though the phone's number is different and as far as I know I don't think you need a SIM (well you do, for the phone number part) once registered you can remove the SIM and I would think it would be usable wifi only of course.
Um no... there is a file size limit I forget what it is but yeah there's a limit I tried it already.
ReplyDeleteThe fact they have your phone # is not respecting privacy.
this: ---> It REALLY works in all smartphones and not smartphones.
is a SURE way to tell everybody you're stupid.
i don't use whatsapp for privacy concern. As author said email is convenient for me. While reading this blog, i received a sms from one of my contacts asking me to checkout whatsapp with a link. she claims she didn't send the sms. ???
ReplyDeleteWell... I understand your comments... I don't see it as SMS and I don't think I will pay for it when my 1 year is up..... However, my point of comparison is bbm.... it's pretty much the same except for the fee... and I hate blackberries.... so I really prefer an IM program like whatsapp... just wish it were free
ReplyDeleteoh, I'd pay for it but not for two or three devices no way jose.
ReplyDeleteIM+ (IMPlus) is a good example of an IM you have to pay for and if you change platforms you have to pay for it; although you are able to make a one time platform change from BB to Android or BB to iOS, etc.
I want them to stop requiring phone numbers to validate & use whatsapp then it has a ton more potential!!! I would love to be able to use whatsapp on all 3 of my devices (especially one of them isn't even GSM nor CDMA capable).
Jason, I totaly agree with you!
ReplyDelete...never the less, I use WhatsApp on my Windows Phone mostly to chat with friends using iPhone. For some reason this app has been a success for doing something that's not new.
Still, I'm mostly a Live Messenger and Facebook Chat user! (don't like Google Chat)
Jason,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. I only use Skype because I have to have at least one IM service. However, IM will bring into security issue so I would like to minimize the service provider.
Why I choose Skype over Windows or Google or Yahoo? Well, it may because Skype also support phone services. It may also because I don't like Microsoft or not trust Microsoft. Nevertheless, it's not important and I am not selling Skype. It's outdated now.
Two reasons I think people like Whatsapp: One) because it's your friends favour and Two) since it use your phone number as ID, it make you 'feel' safe and talking to 'real' person when chatting with someone that you don't know before. At least he/she has to register for a real phone number. However, remember it's really a security/privacy issue.
Sorry, but bad news for you. Microsoft bought skype some months ago.
DeleteI have just installed Whatsapp - and wondered what the fuss is about, it just like GTalk (and uses the same underlying protocol - XMPP) so why not use GTalk (or any other IM network on your phone). I agree with your blog post - whats the point?????????
ReplyDeleteIts going to be uninstalled very shortly.....
I got What's App at the weekend because I was told it was like BBM except works on more than the blackberry and really good and free.
ReplyDeleteI have since discovered that it is only a trial version and not free at all, and since it uses mobile numbers I don't see the benefit of it over text messages - my contract for sending SMS is unlimited on my contract - so I don't see the benefit in paying for this app myself personally.
been reading some of the new comments:
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with a lot of them; if whatsapp truly uses XMPP and similar protocols like GTalk, why not use GTalk? (you can't send pictures or videos within Gtalk).
Here's what I would LIKE to see Whatsapp do: get rid of mobile number validation and move to a PIN based system (like the BBM). THEN they have more potential to allow us to use it on more than one mobile device (I have 3) and they only charge $2-$3/year so adding another device could be another $1 per year big whup!
Again for most of us in the states we can get unlimited messaging and some of us use Google Voice as the main way to communicate and text; that problem is eliminated so the only time I need whatsapp is for international texting.
BTW I'm going on an international trip, I can't use whatsapp outside the USA because of my mobile number had I had a PIN I'd have a way to text my friend for free but nope they insist on using my mobile number.
uninstalling it is not an option, but I don't plan on using whatsapp for anything else until they offer some major breakthroughs and speaking of which: If I have to use my mobile number, why can't I text to any other mobile number without whatsapp? Let's face it, if a mobile number is required I should be able to do that too.
I suppose you wanted to say "(you CAN send pictures or videos within Gtalk)", because you can and can be bigger, and you can too voice and video-talk by google-talk.
DeleteWhatsapp actually work even in you remove your sim card and use wireless to chat.
DeleteYou can still use whatsapp even if you are abroad. I use whatsapp when I was abroad, many2 times. No charge as long as I can find free wireless provider
I guess the logic is the registration of the phone number is just like a PIN/or other IM... So, say if you use other numbers on the same phone, people will see your whatsapp Id as registered with your old phone number but you can still use it.
But of course the weakness is if you change your phone number and if you didnt update the your new number to the whatsapp system, your friends will have to add your old number to the contacts in order to see you in whatsapp.
And why am I stupid. I could use gtalk in any system with a jabber (xmpp) client.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is.. in Email you get a lot more Spam. Which is a hassle to shuffle through. Not all people check their email religiously. I for a fact do. But in all I respect whatsapp because I can be assured that it hasn't be affect with a virus yet as to some of my friends email account. Not to mention, some of my friends had their account hacked and have people misusing their identity on email accounts.
ReplyDeleteLastly, I just add those that I wish to contact on my mobile phone. I need not see everyone on my email list. Another point is, my gmail adds all the people I've ever message to the greater contact list. Those people may be companies I've applied to or contacted at one point or another. I don't like to always have to see their name appear when I email a friend.
Last but not least, Its not so common to ask for a friends email these days. The old emails they probably don't use anymore because it goes like this: sweetiecutiepie1234@hotmail.com.
I must say, although I am a couple of years too late, but I just tried out Whats App today to find out what the whole hype is all about and while using it, I realized that it requires both parties to be online, and only then can you exchange text.
ReplyDeleteWell, you can do that using Google Talk, since forever, can't you?
All that it does is uses the phone number as the contact info, which actually is a problem, in my opinion. WHY is it using the phone number? Who doesn't have an email id or a google/yahoo/aim chat username??? Especially someone who is using a smartphone - which you must be if you're using this App, and I think that its a privacy problem, just like you mentioned.
I read your article after I had already had these thoughts, and I agree with you 100% and maybe I don't understand it properly, even with my more than 25 years of experience of working with computers and around 12 years of experience in the IT industry, but to me, it is simply a chat tool. Nothing less, and definitely nothing more.
Share location, audio notes.
ReplyDeleteHello, I am using a blackberry but never touches the BBM. i find having the msn installed on my blackberry is good enough. reasons:
ReplyDelete- i can't or don't know how to logout of bbm. if i'm overseas and people start to message me, i'll be charged on my data plan, which is extra cost.
- i may have 100 people in my contact list but only 10 of which i usually contact. so what's the point of opening the door to the other 90 people to contact me? there are of course people in my contact list whom i wish to avoid. thus having limited contacts in my msn list does serve this purpose.
- there are soooo many IM programmes out there - facetime, watsapp, msn, bbm, kakaotalk.. what wrong with maintaining just one? i'm sure many of us own an msn account since that was (and still is) one of the most popular tool after ICQ. so why not just maintain it instead of downloading one programme after another, just because others are using it? do you really chat that much???
i'm getting sick of people even asking me to upgrade my phone just so that i can use all these tools. totally ridiculous! why should i spend thousands for a phone upgrade when my current one allows me to comfortably use the msn?
also, if you notice, everyone has their smartphones, ipads, laptops, tablets in front of them even when they're having coffee with a companion. what's the point of having a 'date' when you you do is looking into the screen?
100% agree with Jason's view.
All other services are contaminated with negative things. Email? You realize how much effort the same actions would take in email? Also, it's not push, by default, like WA.
DeleteGoogle Talk? Do you trust google more than some small company's app? I sure as hell don't.
Well said!!
DeleteWhat happened to good old human conversation?
Have you read google's and whatsapp's privacy policies? I sure as hell you don't
ReplyDeleteHi Javier,
ReplyDeleteEven I am whatsapp user and came across your thread. Thanks for adding lot of info on the same.
Still one question remains unanswered for me.
I frequently use whats app for sharing images within my family and friends. So is it secured to use sharing feature? and the shared files remains private within shared users ?
Can you please add some information on it.
thanks
I've been using Gtalk (and now google voice) for IM & messaging. Also have Gmail app when needed.
ReplyDeleteHere's another plus with using Gmail/Gtalk/Google Voice:
It can be used on a PC/Mac not just on phones and tablets. So, if you're in front of the computer you don't have to keep checking your phone to IM people.
Sorry but whatsapp is shit, I don't have it, nore do I want it, I have never had this app and I'm the only person to have my number (as my sim is contracted) yet I have been getting texts asking for someone I'm not, this is happening frequently now and I'm getting rather sick of it. I have messaged the whatsapp team/help line and they are basically refusing to remove my number from their app. Is there anything I can do or say to them to get them to delete it?
ReplyDelete1. If you don't like it, dont't get it.
ReplyDeleteThats all.
Might be late by years :) But Agree. Whats the point. Replacing SMS with data plan how novel!
ReplyDeleteThink you are all missing the point.. You use the IM that your friends use so as to communicate with them. So if they all use whatsapp why should I use something else
ReplyDeleteHi, I must say, that I am using whatsapp now for about 2 years, and they just sent me some days ago, for the second time, a notification that I can use whatsapp for another trial period for free (this time until end of December)... so far, I did not pay a penny for whatsapp on Android. :-) my first assumption was that they let iPhone users pay for the Android users.
ReplyDeleteI like to use: email for the whole world, msn or other IM for a large circle of people, and whatsapp only for a small circle of people - so, whatsapp is a kind of privacy filter for me. I educated my contacts that I do not answer emails immidiately. Only important people get my phone number to reach me via whatsapp.
Second advantage: I can see who sent me messages in the phone status and do not need to open the "inbox" to see who distracts me... in Gmail I must always open the app. Automatically kills more of my precious time.
Nice side effect: I found people from my phone book in whatsapp who were almost forgotten for a long time, and we had the chance to "refresh" our relationships...
Additionally: Whatsapp seems to use by far less battery power than any other chat or IM application if I am online 24 hours a day.
But: I still wonder how they make money, and what else they do with my data...
So far, no negative experiences...
Regards. Martin
>Additionally: Whatsapp seems to use by far less battery power than
Delete>any other chat or IM application if I am online 24 hours a day.
¿Less than msn? Sure. ¿Less than skype? Squared sure XD ¿Less than facebook-chat? Maybe but I really doubt it. ¿Less than Google-talk? Impossible.
Javier, I cannot say if it uses more or less than facebook chat, maybe not. in facebook I do not want to show too many contacts at the same time that I am online and available. I have many contacts with a time difference that makes it impossible not to disturb my work, when I am online... in facebook we use private messaging "on demand". The same in Google Talk, too many contacts that are not important enough to let them disturb me. and my girlfriend does not use Google Talk, but all my colleagues. I try to seperate work and private life. and for us it is just less expensive to send messages in whatsapp between Germany and Thailand every day, compared to using sms... and mms never worked for us for some reason...
Deleteif someone uninstalls whatsapp you will still see her or him in your contact list... that is no guarantee at all that your messages will be delivered.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this has already been brought to anyone's attention, but I got a MMM this a.m from i don't know who, looked the number up on web and it appeared to be one of many numbers used by WhatsApp Messenger. I looked in the message details on the options list of my Nokia phone and was shocked to see some 20 numbers of other people who had also been sent this message. I happen to value my privacy and have been careful with technology to set up privacy options to keep out malicious users as much as possible. By going through my inbox I was able to see that most of my friends use old fashioned message centre texting but a few use Whats App and each one contained lists of numbers of 'also sent to' persons, an isolated 1 or 2 had their names present as per my contact list. I think this is an iss the app provider needs to address!
ReplyDeleteI got the same doubt once seeing the features of this App. This blog is written in 2010, but people still treat this app as great in 2012 too!!
ReplyDeletePeople are persuaded with the term SMS in its description.
Also, some people are happy to have something different (even in look) than the native.
According to me, whatsapp grabs the user's mobile number (once installing) and create a global database, without requiring the user to sign up for an account.
This created illusion among people that they are actually sending SMS or connected quick.
This is How-Stuff-Works !! ;-)
I have to add to what I wrote above about finding people's phone numbers in the 'use details' section of message options. I've looked at lots of comments about this app and a frequently asked question is why its given away so cheap, well I have to ask 'who is benefitting from all these mobile phone numbers? Who would want to know who texts are sent to?' I don't even use a smart phone, I've got an old Nokia 6300 and I only use internet on my laptop at home, and yet I feel violated by other people's technology. Who are the guys behind whatsApp, really? Is this really covert market research or worse?
ReplyDeleteThere is only one factor: customer experience. Just try it, compare with others, and you are in.
ReplyDeleteBR
Hahaha, sorry man, people like simple and Whatsapp is terribly simple. And you can have a group of people in one same conversation and with emails you, at least my case, have to dig through all your other emails. Whatsapp is only to comunicate with whom you want in a clean, easy way. Still, people have to respect opinions, and I respect yours!
ReplyDeleteI think the same as you Jason. This app is the same as msn, yahoo, google talk and so on. They are free and what's app is not. Everyone is going on about it saving you money because you don't SMS anymore but this is not true. Your phone mobile data connection is not free. For example in Bangkok AIS charges 799 for unlimited data per month. I can go online, send text messages and my costs will not be 799 baht in my phone monthly. So you think you are saving money lol but your not. Just paying in a different way ha ha. A text message is 2 baht here. In China it is 1 yuan. In Canada it is 15 cents. I believe that everyone who spending all that money for the unlimited data plans is not saving any money at all. I will give what's app some praise. It seems to be faster and more reliable than msn or yahoo on my iphone. Other aps seem to crash sometimes or have more connection problems.
ReplyDeleteI am agreed with you Jason its not replacement to SMS and its very same as Email except the work by number. I think the people find it simple because they don't have to remember or enter the Email address which saves them one extra step. But in reality they can't send message via this app until they are sure the person has account with whatsapp. I think there app is sort of Email client with simplicity :) and obviously not free.
ReplyDeleteNaver's Line also runs on android and iphone. Its free and it has more features than whatsapp (voice, real cool emote icons) Jason is right, there are so many whatsapp alternatives its shocking that whatsapp costs money
ReplyDeleteDamn right! Apps like this is redundant and most people don't see that. If there's Android Fragmentation, I say this should be called Messaging Fragmentation.
ReplyDeleteI am commeting this late but you missed the point:
ReplyDeletewhatsapp is an messenger that looks and feels like sms.
people are just used to sms, so something that isn't sms but looks like it = win
I am getting spam messages through whatsapp, i block the number each time and then a few hours later i receive another very similar spam from a different number.
ReplyDeleteAfter about 8 i gave up and uninstalled the app from my android smart phone. too bad i liked it.
To whoever wrote this:
ReplyDelete"I am getting spam messages through whatsapp, i block the number each time and then a few hours later i receive another very similar spam from a different number.
After about 8 i gave up and uninstalled the app from my android smart phone. too bad i liked it."
Ditto. Same happened to me and I have decided to uninstall it.
A friend installed WhatsApp and I ended up getting an unsolicited SMS from them advertising it. That's really not on, so I personally won't be supporting it.
ReplyDeleteIf every app started texting friends ads, we'd all be in a world of hurt.
You have failed to consider one possibility. Popularity. It's like facebook. It's not the only social network. It wasn't the first, and it won't be the last and it's not necessarily going to be the most popular forever (just ask MySpace) but it's popular, and everyone uses it because everyone else uses it. People are going to congregate in popular places, because that's what people in societies do. So when all of your friends use Whatsapp, then what are you going to do... are you going to pay $1.99 and chat to them, or are you going to save your money and log onto yahoo chat or MSN chat and sit there being lonely wishing that someone on your contact list would go online?
ReplyDeleteI do not have Whatsapp installed as I do have a smartphone yet (yes deal with it!). I can see how some of the features are irritating like not being able to uninstall it or log off but overall it sounds like a great app - hence all the interest. I'm from Zimbabwe and whatsapp is a craze here as well and probably the only reason I will switch to a smartphone now.
ReplyDeleteChuck all.. some one tell me how sign out whatsapp when i am not in need of it.. Its annoying that i keep getting pings from everyone.I use samsung galaxy ace.
ReplyDeleteI want to be online always. I won't be online always on Msn nor G talk. Plus, yahoo msn it's ugly (even in the laptop). How many people that I know use google talk? I think none. It's important to me get something nice and fast to communicate with.
ReplyDeleteLet's be honest I won't send an e-mail to my friends everytime I want to ask them something, iff I want to meet them somewhere, that would be odd and they won't see it right away.
I think e-mail it's somehow formal and I use it for university stuff (send essays, send a letter to a teacher, receive documents, etc). So if you ask me why I do prefer whatsapp I would say because msn can kick me out when it feels like, I don't know yahoo or G talk.
It's like the BBM. It's ridiculous if you ask a Blackberry user "why are you using bbm when you do have a msn account?"
because it's easier! faster! and you don't have to worry if your msn went offline and you didn't receive the messages!
I love the feature of "last seen..." because you know when people went offline. Will Msn, Yahoo, Gtalk give me that? no, not even Facebook!
If I don't have a data plan my whatsapp will get online and show me my messages as soon as I get to wifi... I don't have to "sing in"
It's a scape of Facebook or Messengers, because I'm talking with the people I want. I only have the numbers of people I want to talk to. In an old messenger account you've got a lot of people through the years that, honestly, I don't give a fuck for. Facebook... even the people you know get all annoying with their posts.
PS: YOU CAN DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT!
unlike other 'free' services there are NO ads. thats why i use it
ReplyDeleteYou don't see the point? I been using it for almost two years.
ReplyDeleteThere's no need to see any points lol just use it or don't
But here are some points since you like them so much.
- biggest point: more people using than other apps. There's no point in me being the only one on gtalk when all my contacts are on whatsapp.
- no need to sign up for an account
- Never gotten spam with more than 200 contacts
- I already pay for data plan as a smartphone user, why pay for SMS again?
- A really big selection of USEFUL Emoticons.
- Group Chat >50 people (if you pay for it), though I'm not sure about the others cause I never have more than 50 on other IM apps.
There;s more but my ADD kicked in bye
Why use Whatsapp instead of IM/email?
ReplyDeleteWhy pay $200 for a pair of shoes when you can get some for $20?
Why pay for BBM instead of just using Gtalk?
Why get an Iphone instead of an entry level Android phone?
Why get A instead of B?
Bottom line is, it is all surprisingly down to one's ......TASTE.
So if you don't like it do not get too bothered about it, life is better spent being bothered about better things, like, 'Will Apple ever become friends with Samsung?' or ,'Will I get the last pie in the fridge or will my child get it before me?'...LOL.