this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2024
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I read about WhatsApp and how people can't part with Meta because of it, however no one on my continent uses it. Why is it so popular in the EU and other parts of the world?

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago

It's not necessarily in parts of Asia, either. Most people in Japan use LINE. China obviously has its own domestic apps. I think South Korea generally uses kakaotalk

[–] [email protected] 91 points 9 months ago (5 children)

SMS used to be the standard way of messaging people on a cellphone. Since a European country is about the size of one US state, it's pretty common to have friends, family or other people you have to message in another European country. Many carriers still charge additional fees for sending SMS messages to other EU countries. So Europeans needed some way of messaging people in other countries for free. That's where WhatsApp came in, it's designed for phones and simpler to use than Email. In 2013, WhatsApp was bought by Facebook, which later became Meta. It's basically the same for other countries that rely on WhatsApp, they need to send messages to foreign countries frequently, which can become quite expensive when using SMS. Americans never needed WhatsApp, because they don't have to message people in foreign countries as often as Europeans, and they often have unlimited SMS included in their cell plans.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

Maybe this is true for some regions, but in general the reason was money. SMS costs money, Whatsapp intially had a low one time or annual fee that was way below what you used to pay for a few SMS, but you got better service than MMS for that fee. And now it's free and sustained by network effects.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Also in the US the plans had free unlimited sms early on and people just stick with it. They know a number will receive a text message they don't on now if they have Whatsapp.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

You can't send someone a message unless they have WhatsApp.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 9 months ago (5 children)

While it is historically true, carriers cannot charge foreign fees for EU members since some time now. They basically said to the carriers "now you stop being greedy fucks".

Since then the European Union is just one large country phone fees wise. Even non EU member Switzerland is included on the EU plan and Switzerland includes Europe as if it is national call/text.

But it was too late indeed, people were already on WhatsApp to avoid sms.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

They can and they do. roaming became free but international calls are still expensive (not as bad as it used to be but still) calling a different country cost me about 20 cents per minute, that's 1 euro for a 5 minute call. unless of course I physically cross the border.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

This has been a thing since when?
I found an article stating 06.2017 as a start date for free EU roaming.
With that in mind since when did smartphones became the norm? About 2011/12?

WhatsApp is basically a full replacement of what iMessage does to some degree and what RCS aspires to be. Everyone cam use it, is free and even the older non-tech folks can use it.
Now try moving those older folks to use some other app. You can't even make them to use apps like Telegram or Signal or Threema.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

I think they were just pointing out that the roaming fees are a thing of the past, because the previous comment sounded like that's still a thing.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago

Yeah that was in 2018. But WhatsApp was already by far the most popular messenger by then.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Even with the unified roaming prices, to this day I don't have sms included, but I have 30gb of data.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago (2 children)

To the best of my knowledge Switzerland is not included. 0.70€/sms

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Yo wtf, these prices are crazy

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Welcome to abroad roaming where a minute of calling costs you an arm and a leg.
Don't even think doing roaming in a foreign land. You will be charged two arms.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Can confirm, when I crossed the border from Italy my existing deal was no longer valid so my connection just dropped.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Ah ok, mine have Switzerland and other non EU (but close) countries.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

This is the best answer.

Source: American, but I’ve spent the past 6 years living across Asia and Europe.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 9 months ago

maybe ask the metric system?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Wait, what do Americans use? Only Signal and Telegram?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

I have never "used a chat app" ever until I made friends in Europe. I just used the OS messaging. Which I assume means SMS.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago

SMS and iMessage.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I think iMessage and whatever Google had at the time were "good enough" here that WhatsApp never caught on? Like most people already had unlimited texting by the time it hit the scene, so It just felt like a scam back in the day and I remember it wanted my phone number to complete a sign-up and I was damned if I was going to give it to them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Hell, unlimited texting plans had already been around for a while by the time smartphones with apps were even a thing

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