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I don't understand the priorities of WhatsApp. I don't need video calling. I need support for bots. WhatsApp doesn't have it. Meanwhile, Skype, Telegram, Face

I don't understand the priorities of WhatsApp. I don't need video calling. I need support for bots. WhatsApp doesn't have it. Meanwhile, Skype, Telegram, Facebook Messenger and Google are where the action is, building great bot support. I want to use WhatsApp, but am using Skype and Telegram now to build a bot. Bot support could also make WhatsApp viable as a business in the long run as an independent, secure service. Simply make businesses pay for bot accounts.

Al-Khwarizmi 10y ago
And I need true multi-device support (not a crappy desktop client that needs your phone to be near you, connected to the Internet and using the battery). And a way of adding contacts without exchanging phone numbers. WhatsApp has always been the worst among the major messengers (Hangouts, Telegram, Line, WeChat all have this) but the sad thing is they can do what they want. They have the network effect on their side, the masses use it, so they can get away with being light-years away from the others in features...
- thirdsun 10y ago
  And the masses use it particularly because all you need is a phone number. My mother or many of her peers barely manage to finish any kind of registration process, yet they have no problem using WhatsApp. Here in Germany there's no escaping WhatsApp - it's the standard communication platform.
- hocuspocus 10y ago
  I'd also enjoy true multi-device support, but I've been using Hangouts for a long, long time (when it was still Google Talk, and before the Android video/voice capabilities), and it's never been very good at IM, where Whatsapp is very reliable on the contrary.
mtgx 10y ago
I have no need for bots whatsoever, but I wanted video calls (in Signal, too). Whatsapp also seems to know how to do it right with low-data usage. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
kriro 10y ago
Sky (pay TV in Germany) has a feature where you can get sports news via WhatsApp. You have to add their number to your contacts and send "Start" to it. I haven't used it and don't know how they do it or what happens but some sort of crude bot system seems to be possible.

Al-Khwarizmi 10y ago

And I need true multi-device support (not a crappy desktop client that needs your phone to be near you, connected to the Internet and using the battery). And a way of adding contacts without exchanging phone numbers. WhatsApp has always been the worst among the major messengers (Hangouts, Telegram, Line, WeChat all have this) but the sad thing is they can do what they want. They have the network effect on their side, the masses use it, so they can get away with being light-years away from the others in features...

thirdsun 10y ago
And the masses use it particularly because all you need is a phone number. My mother or many of her peers barely manage to finish any kind of registration process, yet they have no problem using WhatsApp. Here in Germany there's no escaping WhatsApp - it's the standard communication platform.
hocuspocus 10y ago
I'd also enjoy true multi-device support, but I've been using Hangouts for a long, long time (when it was still Google Talk, and before the Android video/voice capabilities), and it's never been very good at IM, where Whatsapp is very reliable on the contrary.

mtgx 10y ago

I have no need for bots whatsoever, but I wanted video calls (in Signal, too). Whatsapp also seems to know how to do it right with low-data usage. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

kriro 10y ago

Sky (pay TV in Germany) has a feature where you can get sports news via WhatsApp. You have to add their number to your contacts and send "Start" to it. I haven't used it and don't know how they do it or what happens but some sort of crude bot system seems to be possible.