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WhatsApp Reaches 100 Million Monthly Users in the United States

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WhatsApp this week reached a significant milestone of 100 million monthly active users in the United States, a market traditionally dominated by other messaging services such as SMS and iMessage.

Whatsapp-Feature.jpg

The achievement, announced in an official blog post, indicates a potential shift in the American messaging landscape, where WhatsApp has steadily gained ground despite the longstanding popularity of Apple's iMessage. The Meta-owned messaging app is extremely popular in Europe owing to its cross-platform compatibility.

In recent years Meta invested heavily in U.S. marketing campaigns, including high-visibility ad placements in Times Square and television spots emphasizing privacy and end-to-end encryption. A recent campaign featured the cast of the TV show "Modern Family" highlighting WhatsApp's cross-platform capabilities.

The milestone of 100 million users is particularly impressive given the competition from iMessage, which has been the preferred messaging service for many iPhone users due to its default, seamless integration with Apple's ecosystem. However, WhatsApp's ability to offer a unified messaging experience across different devices apparently resonates with a significant portion of the American population, especially in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Seattle.

WhatsApp's milestone comes at a time when the iPhone's messaging landscape is poised for further changes. Apple is set to introduce Rich Communication Services (RCS) in iOS 18 later this year, a move that should significantly enhance the functionality of messages sent between iPhones and Android devices. RCS offers features like high-quality media sharing, read receipts, and typing indicators, which could potentially reduce the need for third-party apps like WhatsApp for advanced messaging capabilities. However, it is notable that RCS does not offer end-to-end encryption – a key WhatsApp feature.

Article Link: WhatsApp Reaches 100 Million Monthly Users in the United States
 
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https://www.macrumors.com/2024/07/28/whatsapp-reaches-100-million-monthly-us-users/
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Likely due in part to iOS 18 beta and the inability to send messages under the trash software Apple has been pushing.

I seriously cannot believe how we can’t send a iMessage now or with many failing to deliver. They were working on RCS for a while and announced it last year! How is it this bad at this point. There really is no excuse except for Tim being not a products guy and having lost key talent. They are about average and at the level of Microsoft in my eyes.

Support also being offshored. The quality of finish and polish was their standout. And betas always have issues, but even “stable” public release software isn’t working well despite factory resets etc. very disillusioned with Apple and not surprised others are exploring alternatives as a result.
 
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BarrettF77 said:
Likely due in part to iOS 18 beta and the inability to send messages under the trash software Apple has been pushing.

I seriously cannot believe how we can’t send a iMessage now or with many failing to deliver. They were working on RCS for a while and announced it last year! How is it this bad at this point. There really is no excuse except for Tim being not a products guy and having lost key talent. They are about average and at the level of Microsoft in my eyes.

Support also being offshored. The quality of finish and polish was their standout. And betas always have issues, but even “stable” public release software isn’t working well despite factory resets etc. very disillusioned with Apple and not surprised others are exploring alternatives as a result.
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I have no issues sending messages.
 
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cbns said:
imagine having all your communication run through Facebook.

to quote the Zuck "They just 'trust' me. Dumb ****s"
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Well…when iMessage was cross platform and open with other message apps I think it was used more among Apple users here. They were forced to uses another cross platform app years ago for that. Now most are using WhatsApp because it gives you the same possibilities cross platform. Lost opportunity for Apple. And their openness of what’s to come is too little too late.
 
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jz0309 said:
and you trust Meta? that's fine, I don't
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I don't trust Meta, and have little doubts they'll use the meta data.
But I, kind of, do trust their E2E encryption.

jz0309 said:
I ain’t using anything Meta, might as well publish all your personal info online
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Communicating by WhatsApp is certainly not the equivalent of posting "all your personal info online".
 
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jz0309 said:
so are other services, and you trust Meta? that's fine, I don't
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Whatcha gonna do …
For messaging you have to use what everybody else is using. Or everybody thinks of you as the difficult making them bother with another app.

Hope you’re lucky and your social circle isn’t (yet) on WhatsApp. But I’ve seen how more and more people converged to it in Europe to the point where everyone just gives up.

Apple tried milking iMessage exclusivity instead of building interoperability with Google. And Google just didn’t have a consistent strategy at all. That left room in Europe for Meta and now it’s coming back to Apple’s home market to bite them.
 
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HJM.NL said:
In Europe WhatsApp is the standard. Have to use it to communicate with colleagues and friends. iMessage nobody uses here because of incompatibility.
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WhatsApp is the dominant messaging platform in many regions. It's so widely used that not using it would significantly limit your ability to connect with friends, family, and colleagues. Of course, this doesn't apply to individuals who are socially isolated.

Today's number suggests 1 out of 3.5 people use it, even in the U.S.
 
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AppliedMicro said:
WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted.
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Big deal. Not the Meta data.

This is a product that people upload their entire contacts list to Meta (so the company then maps who knows whom), it also sees all the notes you may entered about a contact, and allows the Meta to know who you’re contacting and how often.

So while it’s nice they encrypt the actual chat, they know everything else about that chat. How long it is. How often it is. The location of each chat. The mapping of your entire network of friends because have to open your contacts list to have the names inserted.

It’s a shame such a product has become a standard around the world. It’s a shame signal can’t takeoff.
 
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