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There were many other chat apps on Android which were phone number based (Viber, Line (which even used to pay if you used it) not to mention hangouts which ever
by crop_rotation 3y ago
There were many other chat apps on Android which were phone number based (Viber, Line (which even used to pay if you used it) not to mention hangouts which every android user had. Whatsapp won because the product was too simple, and the non tech users preferred it very very strongly. Obviously the founders got incredibly luckly being at the right place at the right time, but they had plenty competition and won by executing better and making the right product decisions.
- ChrisArchitect 3y agoYeah viber, line.... Don't you see, big in more places where they were convinced it was "texting". No one was using those in the west/north America... Unless they needed to communicate with foreign family. Hangouts doesn't use phone numbers. And WhatsApp not any simpler than hangouts, Messenger or iMessage. Which everyone would continue to use because that covers the majority of "accounts" or ecosystems that ppl were in. WhatsApp wasn't a thing other than pressure to connect with technically illiterate family aunty's and uncles in far away places that were told it was "texting". Meh