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It’s also quite adaptable, as you can block contacts from within the app or send a friend’s information to another user within the app.
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Additionally, you can type in a status message or upload a photo in your status that will last up to 24 hours. The app also lets you change your background and send your GPS location to the group through an interactive map. WhatsApp lets you create work, friends, or family groups to communicate with up to 256 participants. You can also invite people who don’t have WhatsApp or connect with other users you know but who aren’t on your contact list. WhatsApp can identify people in your contact list who currently use the app, so you typically don’t have to add them manually. Like iMessage for the iPhone, WhatsApp has a simple interface that showcases your chats in text bubbles complete with a timestamp and notifies you when your recipient has viewed your text. You are always logged in so you never miss messages, but even if you miss notifications while your phone is off, the app saves recent messages for when you re-open the app. You can also share your location, broadcast your status to your contacts, share contacts, set customized wallpapers and notification alerts, email chat history, use the camera to shoot photos and videos from within the app, and simultaneously broadcast messages to multiple contacts. The iOS version also has in-app support for video playback from both Instagram and Facebook. Like any other SMS messenger, you can initiate a conversation with an individual or a group and video chat with up to eight people. You do not need to own the same brand of the phone as your call recipient or be on a specific platform - the app works with iPhone and Android phones and Mac or Windows desktop or laptop computers, which you can use to send and receive messages, but not make calls. Fitbit Versa 3Įasy chatting and calling over most platforms But since Android is much more widely used worldwide, iMessage isn't as ubiquitous outside the US. In the US, where many use an iPhone, iMessage is the default messenger for a lot of people-it automatically kicks in when you text someone who also has an iPhone. Users there thus didn't have as much need for an alternative like WhatsApp-they didn't see a reason to download another app to do what they were already doing. However, in the US, most mobile providers have offered unlimited SMS text messages as a standard feature for some time. Since all you need to use WhatsApp is an internet connection, it was a more attractive alternative to SMS. At the time it was becoming popular, phone providers in many countries charged per text message, or placed limits on how many you could send. Primarily, WhatsApp rose to ubiquitous status in many regions due to its low cost of use. There are a few reasons why WhatsApp is much more used than SMS worldwide.
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