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> loses millions of users Did millions of users uninstall WhatsApp? I don't think so. The most downloaded app figures by App Annie shows exactly what it says,

> loses millions of users Did millions of users uninstall WhatsApp? I don't think so. The most downloaded app figures by App Annie shows exactly what it says, which app was downloaded the most during that period. So as long as WhatsApp stays in the phone and if it receives a single message from hundreds of contacts a user has; WhatsApp didn't loose that user. So the correct title IMO is 'Signal, Telegram gained millions of users'.

kalyanganjam 6y ago
> So as long as WhatsApp stays in the phone and if it receives a single message from hundreds of contacts a user has; WhatsApp didn't loose that user. Agree - WhatsApp didn't lose the user. whatsApp lost the usage. That's still a loss. Not a total loss but a loss never the less
- Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
  > Not a total loss but a loss never the less This is the first time I have seen about dozen new Signal contacts; but the question is how many of those dozen contacts are initiating messages through Signal and receiving messages in Signal from the newly signed-up users? I have sandboxed WhatsApp in a separate machine and receive its messages through email[1] and I still receive WhatsApp messages from the aforementioned contacts. Things would have changed if WhatsApp locked out the profiles(incl. me) who didn't accept the T&C on Feb 8; but now with that gone I don't think there's really going to be any change. [1]https://abishekmuthian.com/send-and-receive-whatsapp-messages-through-email/ https://abishekmuthian.com/send-and-receive-whatsapp-message...
jorangreef 6y ago
Did Skype lose millions of users only when those users uninstalled Skype on their desktop, or long before that when those users started installing WhatsApp on their phone? Most people probably can't remember the exact moment that Skype was no longer relevant.
- Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
  Fair point, but I don't think Skype & 'mobile first' new generation chat apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, Signal etc. belong to the same category. > Most people probably can't remember the exact moment that Skype was no longer relevant. When smartphones became the go-to compute device for many. Yes Skype was made available to smartphones too, but like many other 'mobile first' applications which replaced traditional desktop software Skype was pushed down by the chat apps.
  - jorangreef 6y ago
    Yes, you're right that desktop and 'mobile first' apps are a different category, so that at first, it would seem like the comparison between Skype and WhatsApp is a category error. But I suppose it's also fair to say that Signal is now a good example of a 'privacy first' app, a new category that WhatsApp equally don't seem too interested in. I think the analogy still holds both ways: exact uninstalls are not important once the communication starts moving elsewhere, and 'mobile first' and 'privacy first' are categories that companies ignore at the cost of losing millions of users.
- mnw21cam 6y ago
  > Most people probably can't remember the exact moment that Skype was no longer relevant. What do you mean? Skype is being used more now than this time last year. It has just been renamed. The first few versions of Teams would even call themselves "Skype" when connecting to PulseAudio.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - freeone3000 6y ago
    Teams is an evolution of SkypeForBusiness, which isn't exactly Skype -- consumer Skype still exists. (Teams for Families sounds like it would be the Skype replacement, but it's derived from standard Teams)
benhurmarcel 6y ago
Maybe they don't totally lose the user but if their usage decrease, that user loses value to them. I didn't totally delete my Facebook account either, but as I haven't posted in years and don't have the apps installed, I don't think I contribute much more to their bottom line than someone without account.

kalyanganjam 6y ago

> So as long as WhatsApp stays in the phone and if it receives a single message from hundreds of contacts a user has; WhatsApp didn't loose that user. Agree - WhatsApp didn't lose the user. whatsApp lost the usage. That's still a loss. Not a total loss but a loss never the less

Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
> Not a total loss but a loss never the less This is the first time I have seen about dozen new Signal contacts; but the question is how many of those dozen contacts are initiating messages through Signal and receiving messages in Signal from the newly signed-up users? I have sandboxed WhatsApp in a separate machine and receive its messages through email[1] and I still receive WhatsApp messages from the aforementioned contacts. Things would have changed if WhatsApp locked out the profiles(incl. me) who didn't accept the T&C on Feb 8; but now with that gone I don't think there's really going to be any change. [1]https://abishekmuthian.com/send-and-receive-whatsapp-messages-through-email/ https://abishekmuthian.com/send-and-receive-whatsapp-message...

jorangreef 6y ago

Did Skype lose millions of users only when those users uninstalled Skype on their desktop, or long before that when those users started installing WhatsApp on their phone? Most people probably can't remember the exact moment that Skype was no longer relevant.

Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
Fair point, but I don't think Skype & 'mobile first' new generation chat apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, Signal etc. belong to the same category. > Most people probably can't remember the exact moment that Skype was no longer relevant. When smartphones became the go-to compute device for many. Yes Skype was made available to smartphones too, but like many other 'mobile first' applications which replaced traditional desktop software Skype was pushed down by the chat apps.
- jorangreef 6y ago
  Yes, you're right that desktop and 'mobile first' apps are a different category, so that at first, it would seem like the comparison between Skype and WhatsApp is a category error. But I suppose it's also fair to say that Signal is now a good example of a 'privacy first' app, a new category that WhatsApp equally don't seem too interested in. I think the analogy still holds both ways: exact uninstalls are not important once the communication starts moving elsewhere, and 'mobile first' and 'privacy first' are categories that companies ignore at the cost of losing millions of users.
mnw21cam 6y ago
> Most people probably can't remember the exact moment that Skype was no longer relevant. What do you mean? Skype is being used more now than this time last year. It has just been renamed. The first few versions of Teams would even call themselves "Skype" when connecting to PulseAudio.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- freeone3000 6y ago
  Teams is an evolution of SkypeForBusiness, which isn't exactly Skype -- consumer Skype still exists. (Teams for Families sounds like it would be the Skype replacement, but it's derived from standard Teams)

benhurmarcel 6y ago

Maybe they don't totally lose the user but if their usage decrease, that user loses value to them. I didn't totally delete my Facebook account either, but as I haven't posted in years and don't have the apps installed, I don't think I contribute much more to their bottom line than someone without account.