We use Whatsapp a lot in Europe, but business fronts still communicate with phone and email. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, everything is on whatsapp! You book an hotel? whatsapp message. You need a taxi? whatsapp! you want to order in room service? send a whatsapp message, there’s not even a phone in the room. A tour guide will contact you directly on whatsapp, if you don’t have it installed, good luck.
Comment on Google and major mobile carriers want Europe to regulate Apple's iMessage platform
nicetriangle@kbin.social 10 months agoBasically in a lot of Europe texting was or still is expensive and not unlimited and WhatsApp was a free alternative and Meta did not own it at the time.
So everyone was like well fuck texting and adopted apps like WhatsApp and then Meta bought WhatsApp. Now in these countries it's the defacto standard whether you like it or not. Businesses, people, and even sometimes government uses it as the default way to text. It sucks.
pascal@lemm.ee 10 months ago
someguy3@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Doesn’t it just use you phone number though? Like I could set it to be my default texting app, just like a ton of different texting apps.
pascal@lemm.ee 10 months ago
Yes, why?
someguy3@lemmy.world 10 months ago
So it’s more that companies text you. You don’t need WhatsApp to send or receive those texts. So why do you need it installed or good luck?
nicetriangle@kbin.social 10 months ago
Here in the Netherlands a ton of businesses use WhatsApp. You see it listed as a primary contact method on stationary, signs, vehicles, advertisements, etc all the time here.
pascal@lemm.ee 10 months ago
That’s fascinating! Love NL btw, amazing country!
soulfirethewolf@lemdro.id 10 months ago
I wish the US could have been the same in developing on internet messaging. Instead, It’s virtually impossible to find a plan that doesn’t have unlimited SMS and therefore no one ever sees the antiqueness of SMS to be an issue.
nicetriangle@kbin.social 10 months ago
I see pros and cons to it. I really do not like having WhatsApp be the default text platform. Seems like a huge conflict of interest.
One thing the EU is a clear winner on now is plan pricing. It's insane how much cheaper cell service here than in the states.
Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 10 months ago
Also WhatsApp had photos and shit. And no, MMS doesn’t count. I don’t even want to hear about MMS anymore.
pascal@lemm.ee 10 months ago
MMS and UMTS videocalls were dead in the water the second mobile carriers tried to charge a truckload for that. They did this, they basically made Whatsapp the standard.