Battery usage, SMS versus Messaging apps

[nevmx]

Let's say you're connected to a WiFi network.

What uses more energy/battery life?

1. Using the built-in SMS app to send text messages
2. Using a 3rd party app (WhatsApp, Viber, Kik, etc.) to send text messages over the WiFi network.

 

[Agent-P]

Re/Code put together an article on how messaging apps actually use more battery than you think. Unfortunately they don't have many statistics for each app. But I'd say SMS is probably more battery efficient.

http://recode.net/2014/04/29/its-not-necessarily-the-phone-these-apps-are-draining-your-battery/

 

[KUguardgrl13]

I'd say SMS, but that's just a guess. Messaging apps use data, so I would think that would use more data to have the app running and then to send and receive messages. SMS you just have the sending and receiving of messages. Nothing extra for the app itself. iMessage will use data instead of SMS texts though.

 

[Ann P]

Those third-party messaging apps are battery killers.