If we could just get people to use Signal.
Comment on Fuck you Whatsapp
blitzen@lemmy.ca 2 weeks agoWhatsApp has market share from the momentum gained in countries that didn’t have free/cheap SMS. I too find it wild that it’s the default in most of the world, and it’s super shady and super proprietary. The messaging that we have in the US is far far far from perfect, but at least it’s not Facebook Chat.
daggermoon@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
zergtoshi@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I’ve never used Whatsapp and never will do.
Team Signal since the time it was called Textsecure 🫡
Then again I don’t rely on Whatsapp to stay housed 😐
BigDaddySlim@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Plus in markets like Brazil, having unlimited use of WhatsApp services, including video calls, is a selling point for most cellular providers. You will have a data cap but could still video call your grandma on WhatsApp when you’re out of data. Every business has their WhatsApp number posted out front and on their websites/social media.
For example, here is Claro, a large Brazilian phone company’s cheapest current plan, 36GB of data but unlimited WhatsApp usage and 5GB for social media.
Image (Translated from Firefox)
Alfredolin@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
What the FUCK? Why would the providers do that?
dsilverz@catodon.rocks 2 weeks ago
If you check who's the topmost billionaire with a Brazilian nationality, you'll likely find out part of why. Hint: he is portrayed in "The social network" film.
!mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.worldVittelius@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
It (potentially) allows them to charge at both ends. I don’t know if that’s what happens in Brasil specifically but it happens in a couple of countries.
The providers charge the users for the data use and the services for being exempt from the data caps.
BigDaddySlim@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I betcha this is the answer, they’re probably doing that as a deal with the telecom companies because WhatsApp what’s the market share and control, so that’s why they agree to it.
oats@piefed.zip 2 weeks ago
We have one (I think) provider who does free WhatsApp traffic in Germany, but it never took of. WhatsApp itself is used a lot though.
Persobally I have 20 or 30 GB of data, not sure. I use like 3 to 4 each month.
HerbGrower@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
For text communication surely it uses almost no data
Amdouni@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
Crazy, in my county it’s almost the same but Tik Tok instead of WhatsApp
matlag@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Yep! That’s why net neutrality is so important.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
isnt wechat popular in asia.
iknewitwhenisawit@fedinsfw.app 2 weeks ago
In China for sure. I have no idea about other countries in Asia though….
Naho_Zako@piefed.zip 2 weeks ago
Did some very light searching and it seems to be each country has it’s own thing going on. I know LINE is super popular but it’s mostly only in Japan (and kinda Korea too), while Korea has Kakao Talk. India and SEA region countries apparently love WhatsApp but Telegram does make up the lesser half of the traffic too.
But yeah WeChat and other Chinese apps have huge userbases but are pretty much only used by Chinese people. Hell, each country/region basically just uses their messaging app. Some of these apps have 97-99% of internet users and 90+% of the country’s ENTIRE POPULATION using that app to communicate. It’d probably be devastating if the service ever had a blackout for some reason.
The USA has a way bigger variety it seems, the highest market share for messaging apps is WhatsApp but only at 25%. The top 3 is WhatsApp, Discord (23%), and Telegram (20.8%). The other 30.1% of the market is a mosaic, Messenger, Snapchat, even Teams for some godforsaken reason. But hey, Matrix and Viber are 0.4%! At least they made the chart…
Mannimarco@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Also, that momentum was gained before whatsapp was bought by Facebook
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Bingo, this is an anti-trust question
cecinestpasunecommunication@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Dumbfucks. Corporations will always be bought by worse corporations, and if you don’t understand that, you deserve to suffer.