Why 20% Americans Use WhatsApp, Most Still Prefer SMS
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The instant messaging application, WhatsApp, registered a drop affecting more than 2 billion users worldwide. USA was the exception.
Less than 20% of smartphone users in the United States use WhatsApp, to communicate, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center.
It’s hard to understand that USA in others digital facets is so advanced that it remains on the sidelines of WhatsApp, which has a presence in 180 countries. Only Facebook and Youtube they have more active users than the instant messaging app.
SMS is still in effect in the US.
The massification of technology changed the relationship between companies and the customers. Many cell phone rates included calls and SMS unlimited at a low price.
In that sense, the arrival of smartphone it was not a change to the texting rates popularized by the unlimited option. On USA they just kept sending SMS with their new phones, as they did until then with cell phones more simple.
In the United States they stayed with the custom of using them, according to a publication of the BBC.
The presence of iPhone
The presence of the iPhone in the US has made iMessage, Apple’s instant messaging service, in a certain way, fulfill the role that WhatsApp.
Apple’s app unites support for SMS messaging traditional, making user retention easier.
Users who have iPhone they send messages to each other, but when an iPhone detects that the other phone is from another manufacturer, such as Android, it uses the SMS network.
Contacts outside the United States
Another reason why SMS is prevalent in the United States, according to the aforementioned media, is that Americans do not have many contacts outside the country.
The cost of data usage would increase the value of the bills of the customers, that if they do not need to write to their contacts in other countries, it is not important to use WhatsApp.
In the poll (Social Media Use in 2021) indicates that Hispanic Americans (46%) are much more likely to say they use WhatsApp than African American (23%) or white (16%) Americans.
Most Americans, according to the Pew Research Center, say they use YouTube and Facebookwhile using Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok it is especially common among adults under the age of 30. Far below is the use of WhatsApp.
Global drop
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger presented a global failure on Monday, October 4, 2021, which prevented millions of users from accessing their Online services. In Ecuador, the service was suspended for approximately six hours.
Own Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the tech giant, came out to apologize for what happened. “Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger are back online. Sorry for the disruption today, I know how much you depend on our services to be connected to the people who care, “he communicated through a post on Facebook once the problem was fixed.
