the main point of whatsapp is to work like sms, this is the main difference from other apps like viber and skype; this is why it also uses the phone number and not username, you install it and anyone on your list is instantly available, no need to start asking them if they have whatsapp and what's their nikname... more your number is your number you quit using the app your number stays the same while your skype name belongs to the skype system.

One of the main advantages over skype and viber is that is simple and robust, it does not take that much juice from your phone and you always get your notifications right away, this is not always the case with skype and viber which renders those programs not that reliant as sms replacement.

For people concerned about privacy, you pretty much can't use tools this day that will keep your privacy out of the box, even if they are designed for that you still kneed to know how to use them with your privacy in mind. For example you can get a prepaid card, put it in your phone, confirm your number with whatsapp then put your actual sim back and you're set with different number so the 'evil' powers don't know it's you messaging. (if you're a real pro on the other hand you won't do any such stupid things, you will use the stuff as it is when you say 'hi' to mommy and when you actually have to say something confidential you'll connect to the net via tor and send messages using apps like 'secure chat' and call people with apps that encrypt the call)

Using it as a replacement to SMS.

+ Europe.

But it should be worldwide !!! What's app is fucking awesome. It's a must have !!!!!

Yeah, I'm using it and it's cool... :) :thumbsup

So pleased to see so many using the 'whatsapp' system, we've noticed this as a usual contact for escorts & other businesses in Spain, rather than a usual call or txt number :thumbsup

I use skype, viber, whatsapp and other shit, because nobody have same IM fucking shit, i want trillian back

whatsapp - everybody uses it. and for a reason.

cross-platform (unlike imessage), free, fast, easy.

more or less the same as viber.

She's on a Samsung, I'm on an iPhone. So WhatsApp is her preference.

I was hassled repeatedly to get it by a few different people LOL... finally broke down and did it a few weeks ago. I rarely use it but it seems cool enough. I figure once I head overseas in a few months will be the test...

I use it all the time. Love it!

except for voice call. it work 10 times better than mobile skype and yes it is very popular in latin america almost no one uses mobile skype. mobile skype sucks it is laggy you get messages a day later or not even at all some times. skype has not done a good job of working mobile and pc version at the same time.

I have both on my phone because I live in Panama :) why tied to phone number well thats the way they did it you can run it on pc with virtual android app but still have to verify it with number.

My thought was that wouldn't usernames be easier?
Like instead of saying - hit me up on whatsapp, my ID is +145758545 you could say hit me up on whatsapp, my ID is mineistaken (which would be also tied/verified with that same +145758545 number).
It would be easier to say and remember. :2 cents:

Everyone here in South Africa uses it.

Added step=slower adoption rate, less convenient, less familiar. The method of using the phone number as the ID means you won't even have to tell me your "ID", if i already have your phone number saved in my contacts i can message you right away.

You have to tell your ID (in this case this equals your phone number) to new people.

As for the current contacts from your phonebook - no extra step as you could still message the same way (remember your ID would be associated with your phone number anyways, so app would still find contacts based on the phone numbers you have in your phonebook).

Simple, easy to use. I use it with everyone who lives outside the US. Its always on. No on and offs or conflicts when I turn on my lap top and use my other IMs.

If I need to communicate with anyone around the world and they don't have it, i just email them a Whatsapp link and they can put it in there phone in 2 minutes.


I like it, no issues.


Just Dave

Never used Whatsapp. An ex employee from BlackBerry cloned BBM and ported it to all mobile platforms. There's a lot of privacy reasons not to use it, especially since FB bought it. With wide Android/iOS availability, I say: BBM all the way!

IMO it is one of the best messaging apps out there. Fast and responsive. Just annoying it has to attach your phone number

All said

I use Viber

How hard is your phone number to say? The way they did it caused it viral faster. People just open whatsapp instead of text as it is cheaper/free. It uses your current contacts and everyone uses it so it is easy.

Viber had like two months in Brazil where everyone had it and then bam it was done. No idea why.

To be honest I thought everyone was using it... It surprises me that its not that big in the US. I would go as far as to say that its the 1st app most people I know would download (Europe, Australia, South America) :)

Some of this has been said already & some not so Ill just go ahead anyway :winkwink:

The reasons its so popular is:
- Its much faster & easier to use than skype & viber
- You can send photos & videos
- You can record & send voice messages similar to a 2-way radio/walkie talkie
- You can create groups for family, friends, work-mates where everyone within the group can rec. & share pics, vids, voice msgs
- No ads (yet)
- Available across all platforms

Interesting market penetration stats:
WhatsApp: mobile usage penetration in selected countries 2014 | Statistic

Not a single friend or colleague of mine in Europe uses that. I installed it only when business partners of mine from Asia inquired about it :)
To me it looks like Asian and South American thing.

Funny, there isn't a single person that I know of in EU that doesn't use it, by what I've seen it's huge in EU, only people from estern europe tell me they are on viber and refuse to use whatsapp because it's not free(entire buck for a year use, outrageous!:1orglaugh).

And to the posted charts, I though that the UK penetration rate is way too low, everyone and their mother use it in UK.

From that chart it looks like it depends on the country. For example Italy, Spain are big on that, while France 6% and Poland 3% are not.

Funny again, because from my +- 40 mobile contacts from Eastern Europe almost all of them are on skype and only 3 on viber :)

Here we are actually quite close, from my experience pretty much all eastern europeans use skype, most of the time not from their phones though, some use viber when it comes to messaging from their phones but virtually no one uses whatsapp.
Which is also normal, as far as I can remember, when skype came to be some of the eastern european countries were the first to adopt it and I doubt that smart phones are as common as in lets say UK

You need new friends. (just kidding)

Comparing Skype to WhatsApp or Viber is comparing apples to oranges IMO.

I travel quite a bit and I'd be hard pressed to name a country where people weren't on either Viber or WhatsApp to stay in touch. Get both, use both. And if you're on Android you can aggregate all of your messenger platforms into one by using Snowball

Never used it

Well of course skype and whatsapp are 2 different things, one is messanger another is sort of alternative to sms that works only with SIM card and number.

However why could not we compare skype with viber? :)

It's a fantastic app. Able to txt, chat & send documents to the exact number, knowledge of who you're talking too :thumbsup