WhatsApp Can Now Be Your Default Call and Messaging App on iPhone

[BigDO]

WhatsApp is an objectively superior app in every possible metric compared to iMessage. The only reason iMessage has a user base they do is the legacy advantage, when they were indeed disruptive and put the archaic US carrier imposed SMS/MMS prison to shame.

Sadly, it did not keep up and today is crippleware compared to other messaging apps, used only due to the inertia and the weird US teenager “blue bubble” fetish.

 

[Dr McKay]

I’m in the UK and 90% of the time I use iMessage. I only use WhatsApp for Android people, because that’s all they use. They don’t even look at their own devices’ messaging app, which isn’t like that with iMessage. I’m not sure why WhatsApp is so popular. SMS doesn’t cost anything anymore.

Because WhatsApp came out before iMessage and most of my contacts were already on it by the time iMessage launched. When I message did launch, even my non techie friends and family’s thoughts on it were “So it’s like WhatsApp but only works between iPhone?”

 

[Icelus]

RCS support is unfortunately very fragmented in Europe at the moment: https://support.apple.com/en-us/108048

 

[svish]

Good to know and will be useful for some. I will not be setting it as a default app. My usage of WhatsApp is very less.

 

[iStorm]

F*c*book is NOT getting my contact list.

Facebook likely has it already anyway. You may not share your contact list, but your friends and acquaintances may have shared theirs. They can correlate data to build a profile about you and who you know that way.

Ex.​

Ann, Bob, Chris, & Derek all have you as a contact and shared their contacts list.​

Ann, Bob, & Chris all have Emma as contact.​

​

Facebook:​

Oh, HighwaySnowman isn't on Facebook, but must know Ann, Bob, Chris, & Derek.​

We see most of those people have a mutual contact (Emma); HighwaySnowman probably knows Emma too.​

We see Bob, Chris, & Derek like [hobby], so HighwaySnowman probably does too.​

And this isn't just about Facebook; any company can easily do this. I saw this happen when I signed up for Venmo several years ago. A phone number is required to use Venmo, so I reluctantly gave them my number and denied sharing my contacts because I didn't care about finding my friends...yet the next screen still showed me a bunch of people I knew, some that I haven't talked to in over a decade. (Why am I still in their contacts list!? 🤨)

 

[robvalentine]

It's perhaps, because you don't use Apple messages, that you're not aware of the fact, just about every Android user in my contacts list, has RCS available, the only ones that don't, are the people that haven't enabled it on their Android phones.
The only thing you can't do with RCS is video calls, without an invite initiated by the iPhone user for a Face time call, so there is absolutely no reason to lose all your privacy with WhatsApp....but hey, you carry on as you see fit for yourself 🙂

The issue is that most uk network providers don’t have rcs infrastructure. On android it’s handled by google, apple needs your carrier to support it. For example I’m on Vodafone and they don’t support it. I think only EE and maybe O2 support it. Vodafone and three don’t.

 

[Ad47uk]

Almost everyone has it, because almost every iPhone user has one acquaintance or a business contact with an Android and before RCS.......
Doesn't mean everybody uses it all the time or even often, I use it purely for business contacts and a few family members that don't have an iPhone

Not all of us has Iphones, but that makes no differernce.
People have WhatsApp because they are pushed by other people, I did not allow myself to be pulled along.
I see no reason for it and I certainly would not put my phone number into WhatsApp, which was one of the main reasons I would not install it. I also don't require it, as I have said to people who ask me to install it, you want to message me, use SMS, not RCS, because I don't have it, but SMS. They can email me if they want to send files and even call me.
i do have Faceache messenger on the phone, so if they must use that then yes, but I prefer them not to .

 

[Ad47uk]

RCS relies on carrier support so no, it’s not the same thing.

Maybe for Iphone, but not for Android phones as Google runs it, not that I use RCS myself, prefer SMS.

 

[Ad47uk]

Yeah I asked every person before I posted so I’m sure.

Seriously though, from family, friends, to work plus group chats for party invites, holidays, festival plans, work channels with updates, it’s all WhatsApp. I don’t know anybody personally who doesn’t use it, it would be like going off grid and quitting part of your social life.

I wish it wasn’t true, I hate WhatsApp with a passion.

It is because people been pushed onto it, I suppose the younger ones it may be useful, but I have never been interested or seen the need to install it. Family wise, my sister uses it to keep in contract with all her family, I know one of my brother don't use it, and I am pretty sure the other one don't.
I have a few mates and acquaintances that use it as I used to have a lot of requests to install Whatsapp, I don't have them any more, people know that I am not going to install that thing on my phone.
If it did not need my phone number to work, then maybe, but I don't see the point, certainly now with RCS, not that I use that either.

 

[.wojtek]

Everyone in The Netherlands uses WhatsApp. There’s no way around it. Same for other apps in other countries. So it’s a very useful feature.

All darn world uses WhatsApp except for the Usanians that are stuck Sith SMS xD

 

[n-evo]

Bull, it is a private app,there is still SMS.

You still think it’s 2005 I see.

If RCS was adopted a lot sooner by carriers and the likes of Apple we wouldn’t have to rely on these third party apps and you’d have a point. But even now RCS isn’t supported by Dutch service providers and SMS is simply too limited for today’s uses.

WhatsApp has become the de facto standard for messaging in the Netherlands and many other European countries. Not being on WhatsApp can prove challenging in many social circles and isn’t always viable in a practical sense. That doesn’t mean I also want to receive calls through it. If Meta offered a way to disable said functionality that would be fine too, but they don’t.

Then don't set it as your default for calling

That won’t prevent me from receiving WhatsApp calls which is the point. I’m not against WhatsApp as a messaging service, I just want to be able to disable the audio/video call part.

 

[bigglow]

Why do so many people feel the need to come into an article about a feature they won’t use, to announce to everyone else that they won’t be using said feature? 🤔

Many other countries mostly use WhatsApp as their default messaging app.

People in your country likely use iMessage.

 

[Dr McKay]

Many other countries mostly use WhatsApp as their default messaging app.

People in your country likely use iMessage.

Did you reply to the wrong comment? Your reply makes no sense in the context.

 

[RMSR]

I just decided to do some research on most popular messaging apps and found below information from a reasonably reliable source (statista). Even in USA facebook messenger is more popular than any other messaging service.

Based on the inputs from the contributors of this group - I would have thought that iMessage is very close to being the most popular. But, it does not look like it.

 

[MacFarmer]

yeah, and use meta VPN for your secure needs too I try to avoid most things meta, but whatsapp is way to involved in EU market. Some bureaucrats will probably split it up

 

[Abazigal]

Wait, you can make actual phone calls from WhatsApp?

It’s basically audio only video calls using your data, similar to FaceTime audio. Problem is that my Apple Watch doesn’t notify me of incoming WhatsApp calls, so it’s easier to miss them compared to actual calls.

 

[adrianlondon]

For me, the main advantage of WhatsApp is that it's a self-contained app.

iMessage merges in with actual GSM SMS messages, and FaceTime with "real" phone calls. Both can be associated with an email address (which confuses TF out of everyone in my family) which sometimes results in split message history, although that's improved recently.

Also, with iMessage and FaceTime, if you travel and get a new phone number temporarily it will eventually disconnect both services from your home number. I think it still does this pretty much immediately if you do a sim-swap although eSims makes that less likely. WhatsApp doesn't have this issue.

Finally, iMessages can't be archived or backed up in any (easy) way.

 

[Chazak]

“Nobody uses iMessages in [country]. Everyone is on WhatsApp! Why is the USA so behind the times??!!!!?!”

No shortage of this kind of comments in iMessages/SMS related news threads

It happens to be true.

 

[Baslea]

Problem is that my Apple Watch doesn’t notify me of incoming WhatsApp calls, so it’s easier to miss them compared to actual calls.

But let me guess, it's all Meta's fault and it's a bad thing that EU forces Apple to open up notification-APIs

 

[Janschi]

Everyone in Europe. Even for video calling. I've never Facetimed in my entire life. Even if someone else has an iPhone they refuse to use Messages or FaceTime. Everything is through WhatsApp.

I'm the other way around, I refuse to video chat / talk via WhatsApp. I exclusively use FaceTime for video chatting or calls over the internet.

 

[Chazak]

Unless you have been living in Atlantis or similar, you should know that some who are unfamiliar with items enjoy feedback from people before jumping on the bandwagon.

I think anyone who is not aware of WhatsApp, particularly if they are participating in a blog like MacRumors, must be living in Atlantis or somewhere similar. It has 90+% of the global market and is the global standard. Outside of the US Apple market, it is the global standard. Additionally, it is estimated iMessages only has 17% of the US market. Globally, Apple is estimated to have a little less than 30% of the phone market. iMessages is the outlier, not WhatsApp.

Just so you know, I am a diehard Apple user and have been since the late 1980s. Other than as required for work I have never voluntarily owned a Windows or Android device and I don't intend to have that equation altered.

Also, I don't think the comments being referring to in the post you replied to constitute feedback of value if someone is talking a look at their messaging options. They don't seem to offer any analysis at all. No discussion of features, security, compatibility, cross platform use, authentication codes, market share, etc.

 

[Abazigal]

But let me guess, it's all Meta's fault and it's a bad thing that EU forces Apple to open up notification-APIs

Hardly. I am just perplexed why so many of my colleagues choose to call me via WhatsApp when normal phone calls are a thing. Not to mention that call quality dips significantly when cellular connectivity is poor.

 

[AstonSmith]

The issue is that most uk network providers don’t have rcs infrastructure. On android it’s handled by google, apple needs your carrier to support it. For example I’m on Vodafone and they don’t support it. I think only EE and maybe O2 support it. Vodafone and three don’t.

Three does now, not sure about Voda.

 

[dg1974]

More options for us consumers -> good.

But I'll stick with the default phone app for calls and the default app for SMS (OTPs, the auto-delete feature, etc).
I've never used iMessage (I tried with a couple of friends—started the chat, they replied the first time, but the next time, they wrote to me via WhatsApp) nor FaceTime.
Here in Italy, basically no one uses iMessage (and by the way, I find it to be a "not-so-good" app for chats), while everyone uses WhatsApp.
It's so widespread that even businesses use WhatsApp as a way to engage with customer support or similar services.
I also use Telegram, but only in a group chat with some friends—and only because the stickers in Telegram are so much more fun/better than WhatsApp's!

 

[RMSR]

I think it is the people that is most important in all this communication process. I would gladly use any esoteric app to talk to a person important to me.

Compared to the value of family, friends etc - a piece of hardware/software (phone/os) should be a distant second.

From the company's point of view, a single user is not relevant as it does not improve its bottom line. Very few people can buy enough phones to affect any phone manufacturers revenue. But overall satisfaction as measured by the company's market research is what the company aims to improve. Having said that, one can easily say Apple's brand loyalty is legendary and they should be proud of the work they have done to achieve it. Hope they maintain it in the future.