7 ms·

True, here in Spain WhatsApp is practically a basic utility. Nobody is not on WhatsApp.

magic_hamster 3y ago
Aside from people, a significant number of companies, and even government services, offer service through WhatsApp as well. In some parts of the world it's really impossible not to use it.
- geysersam 3y ago
  Why have they been so successful? Why didn't MMS 6.0 implement everything that exists in modern chat applications. Why is Meta anything more than the anonymous humble entities producing sms and "phone" apps?
  - blizarre 3y ago
    I guess because Whatsapp provides a unified and standard way to communicate between people on different provider networks / countries for free? You get groups, text/images/location sharing, video/audio calls, cross-countries, that works very reliably, and you only need internet (which can be found almost anywhere even if that's just wifi). MMS still don't work reliably for me (lost a message just last week that someone swear to have sent). And for a long time they were not free as well.
    - smaudet 3y ago
      This is still where normal phones work better (no internet).
    - geysersam 3y ago
      I'm not actually suggesting using MMS. I just wanted to illustrate that we've had instant communication technology (even "rich" multi-media) long before Whatsapp etc. Why didn't the providers of that technology (telecom companies) become Meta? The difference is that MMS/SMS is standardized and agnostic to the client interface. While WhatsApp is proprietary and monopolizes the client. We could easily have had a "internet direct message" standard implementing most of WhatsApps features. (Wait... Isn't that SMTP?) Maybe I'm just ignorant, but what does WhatsApp bring that let's say email++ does not have?
      - notimetorelax 3y ago
        Telcos hire vendors to run their networks and services. For them WhatsApp is yet another vendor.
  - conradfr 3y ago
    It was a great and useful cross platform messaging app ... and still is after Meta bought it.
  - Groxx 3y ago
    MMS has been exorbitantly, insanely expensive and with extremely high failure rates in much of the world until... ... actually that's still the case in varying degrees and locations. And once you've got great market penetration in an area, there's little to no reason to switch unless the competition is noticeably better, which MMS really has no claim to.
    - geysersam 3y ago
      Point is: why did an open standard for direct messages not win over proprietary solutions?
      - Groxx 3y ago
        They put in quite a lot of time and money to build it and make it work on a ridiculous array of devices running weird embedded OSes. Open standards hadn't. Or if you're referring to MMS: insane user cost and insane unreliability, standards mean nothing if the implementations are all trash.
        geysersam 3y ago
        But why didn't email win over WhatsApp? Doesn't email run on all devices? Not saying it should have, just that I don't really see the difference in functionality.
        Groxx 3y ago
        Email definitely did not. When WhatsApp was beginning its rise to domination, it was on tons of feature phones - mostly just calls, texts, and WhatsApp. Email implies a lot more general internet access than was generally supported or understood by people, since it supports arbitrary data and hosts.
- pjmlp 3y ago
  For example, try to get hold of taxi services in Africa without Whatsapp.
  - okal 3y ago
    Where in Africa? People just use Uber or alternatives, and it works fine pretty much everywhere I've been (I'm Kenyan. I've lived in South Africa for extended periods, and travelled extensively in Namibia and Tanzania). I've never once heard of anyone using WhatsApp for cab hailing. It gets pretty exhausting finding people talking about a whole continent on HN in broad strokes as though it's some small town they once went to on holiday, and can now offer their expert opinion on.
    - defrost 3y ago
      As an Australian I sympathise, it's not all HN'rs [1] but there's certainly a strong core of proud ignorance confident in their assertaions about other cultures, countries, political systems, etc. [1] https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/850:_World_According_to_Americans https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/850:_World_Accord... PS: I met a guy in Mali once, d'ya know them? [2] /s [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOValSt7YOY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOValSt7YOY
      - okal 3y ago
        Thanks for the recommendation You may also enjoy Tinariwen, if you haven't already come across them.
        defrost 3y ago
        Cheers bigtime. Here I was expecting something from Tanzania or Kenya and we're back in Northern Mali! I'm a bit old - I travelled extensively about the globe when I was younger doing geophysicsl survey work and ground truthing the transition from many paper map systems to WGS84. Africa has some fantastic musicians. All I can offer in return is some Australians and their collaborations ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjDlbCfybbE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjDlbCfybbE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr3iI8gg2fo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr3iI8gg2fo English x Yolngu Matha x Bemba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrM8Ly17lw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrM8Ly17lw4 Why not: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmGpJJsQEU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmGpJJsQEU
set92 3y ago
I'm only in Telegram. And is also good because the family groups are only in WhatsApp, so I can have an excuse.

Aside from people, a significant number of companies, and even government services, offer service through WhatsApp as well. In some parts of the world it's really impossible not to use it.

geysersam 3y ago
Why have they been so successful? Why didn't MMS 6.0 implement everything that exists in modern chat applications. Why is Meta anything more than the anonymous humble entities producing sms and "phone" apps?
- blizarre 3y ago
  I guess because Whatsapp provides a unified and standard way to communicate between people on different provider networks / countries for free? You get groups, text/images/location sharing, video/audio calls, cross-countries, that works very reliably, and you only need internet (which can be found almost anywhere even if that's just wifi). MMS still don't work reliably for me (lost a message just last week that someone swear to have sent). And for a long time they were not free as well.
  - smaudet 3y ago
    This is still where normal phones work better (no internet).
  - geysersam 3y ago
    I'm not actually suggesting using MMS. I just wanted to illustrate that we've had instant communication technology (even "rich" multi-media) long before Whatsapp etc. Why didn't the providers of that technology (telecom companies) become Meta? The difference is that MMS/SMS is standardized and agnostic to the client interface. While WhatsApp is proprietary and monopolizes the client. We could easily have had a "internet direct message" standard implementing most of WhatsApps features. (Wait... Isn't that SMTP?) Maybe I'm just ignorant, but what does WhatsApp bring that let's say email++ does not have?
    - notimetorelax 3y ago
      Telcos hire vendors to run their networks and services. For them WhatsApp is yet another vendor.
- conradfr 3y ago
  It was a great and useful cross platform messaging app ... and still is after Meta bought it.
- Groxx 3y ago
  MMS has been exorbitantly, insanely expensive and with extremely high failure rates in much of the world until... ... actually that's still the case in varying degrees and locations. And once you've got great market penetration in an area, there's little to no reason to switch unless the competition is noticeably better, which MMS really has no claim to.
  - geysersam 3y ago
    Point is: why did an open standard for direct messages not win over proprietary solutions?
    - Groxx 3y ago
      They put in quite a lot of time and money to build it and make it work on a ridiculous array of devices running weird embedded OSes. Open standards hadn't. Or if you're referring to MMS: insane user cost and insane unreliability, standards mean nothing if the implementations are all trash.
      - geysersam 3y ago
        But why didn't email win over WhatsApp? Doesn't email run on all devices? Not saying it should have, just that I don't really see the difference in functionality.
        Groxx 3y ago
        Email definitely did not. When WhatsApp was beginning its rise to domination, it was on tons of feature phones - mostly just calls, texts, and WhatsApp. Email implies a lot more general internet access than was generally supported or understood by people, since it supports arbitrary data and hosts.
pjmlp 3y ago
For example, try to get hold of taxi services in Africa without Whatsapp.
- okal 3y ago
  Where in Africa? People just use Uber or alternatives, and it works fine pretty much everywhere I've been (I'm Kenyan. I've lived in South Africa for extended periods, and travelled extensively in Namibia and Tanzania). I've never once heard of anyone using WhatsApp for cab hailing. It gets pretty exhausting finding people talking about a whole continent on HN in broad strokes as though it's some small town they once went to on holiday, and can now offer their expert opinion on.
  - defrost 3y ago
    As an Australian I sympathise, it's not all HN'rs [1] but there's certainly a strong core of proud ignorance confident in their assertaions about other cultures, countries, political systems, etc. [1] https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/850:_World_According_to_Americans https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/850:_World_Accord... PS: I met a guy in Mali once, d'ya know them? [2] /s [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOValSt7YOY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOValSt7YOY
    - okal 3y ago
      Thanks for the recommendation You may also enjoy Tinariwen, if you haven't already come across them.
      - defrost 3y ago
        Cheers bigtime. Here I was expecting something from Tanzania or Kenya and we're back in Northern Mali! I'm a bit old - I travelled extensively about the globe when I was younger doing geophysicsl survey work and ground truthing the transition from many paper map systems to WGS84. Africa has some fantastic musicians. All I can offer in return is some Australians and their collaborations ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjDlbCfybbE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjDlbCfybbE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr3iI8gg2fo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr3iI8gg2fo English x Yolngu Matha x Bemba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrM8Ly17lw4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrM8Ly17lw4 Why not: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmGpJJsQEU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmGpJJsQEU

set92 3y ago

I'm only in Telegram. And is also good because the family groups are only in WhatsApp, so I can have an excuse.