discussion Why do americans still use SMS and not WhatsApp?

[dirrtydiana]

Why would I use another app when iMessage is right there? The user face sucks too. It feels like using Facebook to text. FB owns it no? Maybe that’s why

[DonSiblon]

WhatsApp is the ghetto! Always getting spam texts on the daily, and it’s also monitored by Facebook & Co. no thanks! My circle uses iMessage

[cockatoo]

They probably think it's a communist app

[DonSiblon]

WhatsApp is the ghetto! Always getting spam texts on the daily, and it’s also monitored by Facebook & Co. no thanks! My circle uses iMessage

[wastedpotential]

I use iMessage exclusively with people when I'm home in the US and WhatsApp exclusively with people that I've met in Europe. It's annoying having to switch back and forth

[ZIVERT]

Telegram outsold both

[Stunnah]

whatsapp is horrible. ugly, and intrusive notifications. 

[XVIIII]

Most of us just communicate with other Americans, and we all have unlimited messaging/data plans. Why would we want to download another app to essentially do the same thing as the one that already comes on our phones?

[meangreen11]

We don’t run into as many scenarios where we’d be paying International message fees because we use iMessage by default rather than SMS when possible and we can drive more than 50 or so miles without crossing into another country. Canada and Mexico aren’t even treated as “international” for most cell providers here, so even if we did, SMS still works fine. 
 

Most people here barely know anyone out of state, much less out of the country (which isn’t a good thing by ANY means). And personally, Facebook is the very last company I would want to hold my message history. 

[Аshanti]

Downloading an app and setting up an account when you can just text

[brazil]

Yeah, it bothers me. Its not even about the unlimited texts etc, it's just that the SMS layout gives me depression. In WhatsApp we group chat and send stickers with the face if our friends on top of a cow, you can't beat that!

[brazil]

43 minutes ago, DonSiblon said:

WhatsApp is the ghetto! Always getting spam texts on the daily, and it’s also monitored by Facebook & Co. no thanks! My circle uses iMessage

Lmfao yall acting like some anti-corporation farmer market vegans while supporting Apple 

[brenda-walsh]

because we have unlimted texting plans unlike the rest of the world. therefore no need for installing a separate app

[brenda-walsh]

also iMessage is a thing! i'd say 99% of the people i text have an iphone

[stjosephprey4us]

iMessage is the default. Why would I use a third party app as opposed to Whats literally built into my phone. Also, it’s 2022, get a grip

[ariananext]

I remember using iMessage in 2012 or something, I couldn't imagine using it today, it's absolutely forgotten here even among iPhone users. It always felt so slow, compared to whatsapp it took multiple seconds to send a text, plus it felt cold, whatsapp feels much more personal. It has absolutely nothing to do with texts being included or not. Here in Italy you pay around 7-15€ to have unlimited data, texts and calls, if anything texts are dying more and more because they're obsolete. 

[DirtyPony87]

2 hours ago, Steve Jobs said:

Two reasons

 

1) Unlimited texting plans were the standard in the US unlike many parts of the world, so the jump to a free alternative wasn’t as necessary. 

 

2) iMessage. Since the iPhone market share is enormous (over 60% when in other countries it’s like 5-30% at best*), it covered the extra features for a lot of people (read receipts, media etc). 
 

*except for Japan where it’s also the majority 

This right here. Otherwise, I wish more people used it here because it’s far superior to SMS. Texting non-iPhone users is a nightmare sometimes and ruins any and all group chats.

[GotMyBlueprint]

I genuinely don't even know what the difference is between iMessage and SMS... I just use whatever text message icon showed up when I first started using my iPhone... what's wrong with SMS?

 

I only used Whatsapp whenever I'd go to Mexico, cus all the gays over there insisted.

Edited July 27, 2022 by GotMyBlueprint

[XAMJ]

i think whatspp is tacky tbh

[bad guy]

Because there's no reason for us to. iMessage is free and data is unlimited. The only reason people outside America use Whatsapp is to text/call internationally, but our service plans already cover that so again there's no point. 

[GentleEarthquake]

i've never heard about SMS or !Message everyone here uses Whatsapp

[Tropez]

3 hours ago, Simple said:

They are so weird! whatsapp is the best (cloud storage for messages, stickers, video and voice calls, fast..etc) .

Imagine sending a group text using SMS or using iMessage's cringey emojis

 

3 hours ago, Mohit said:

WhatsApp is the biggest app for messaging in the world. Americans just love to live in their own little cucoons. 

Americans mostly use iPhones, iMessage is not SMS. Texting is free in the US. iMessage has tons of its own apps, and is arguably better than WhatsApp since its Apple. 

 

Also WhatsApp is owned by Facebook. Facebook is literally an evil company, don't know why you're giving all your data and personal info to Facebook. Does that make you feel good. 

 

Also Facebook like Apple is a US company. If countries have issues with TikTok since all the data goes to China, imagine what your data is doing in the US....

[Archetype]

…we have iMessage 

[Into The Void]

5 hours ago, JustHoran said:

You can literally do all of that with SMS and for unlimited. Literally who has minutes in 2022?  

 

I have an unlimited texting plan. I don't know anyone that uses WhatsApp.

I don't know anyone who uses it either. We all text 

[naval23]

WhatsApp is nice because you can use it on your computer too but I'd rather use SMS - it's free, unlimited texting (and not everyone has WhatsApp) so one less app to deal with 

 

But for group texts, WhatsApp or FB Messenger is the way