Being some of the most used apps in the world, WhatsApp and iMessages are two distinct ways of digital communication. This global debate often comes down to connectivity versus simplicity. But, which app is truly more useful and why?
Q: Is WhatsApp actually used more than Apple’s iMessage? If so, why?
A: Considering it has over 2 billion users around the world, yes! It offers more cross-platform security and accessibility, whether users have an iPhone or an Android. There are also financial benefits since WhatsApp is free to use and lacks cellular payment plans. Even internationally, it only requires Wi-Fi connection or internet data to function. Since people from different countries can communicate freely and overcome cross-platform limitations like FaceTime, it allows for global timeless connection.
Q: Are there places that use WhatsApp more than others?
A: Just in India, Brazil, and Indonesia, there are over 760 million users. Over 180 countries use WhatsApp, and South Asia itself has over 1 billion users. But at school, all of my friends who use WhatsApp are either immigrants or have relationships outside of America.
“It’s the easiest way to text my family members [in Brazil],” sophomore Pedro Torolho said. “It’s also just the most common way used.”
When my sister was abroad for school, I only texted her through WhatsApp because neither of us needed a VPN or an entirely different phone to communicate between North America and Europe. WhatsApp’s internationality is also used at Creek. Monica Williams, an English teacher, chaperones educational summer trips to foreign countries through Education First. One of the many requirements to attend is to have WhatsApp. It’s the cheapest and quickest way for students to communicate with each other, chaperones, and family back home.
Q: Why do many Americans only use iMessage?
A: Due to the Apple brand being based in America, many Americans perceive Apple as inherently American. Since social media has also branded Apple as “aesthetic” compared to Android, it’s a common joke to have an Apple Ecosystem. Having a MacBook, AirPods, an iPhone, and an iPad has become a social achievement that American youth have accepted and strive for. It’s socially normalized to only want Apple products. In fact, having an Android is, for some, a means of judgment. Since Android doesn’t mesh well with iOS, many iPhone users struggle to easily text or edit group chats that have an Android user. America is also geographically isolated from Europe and Asia. There’s technological isolation regarding America’s technology production. It further centers the country into our own monopoly of Apple.
Q: Wow, doesn’t that sound similar to the other stereotypes about America?
A: Yeah, I guess not everything is bigger in Texas. iMessage can only hold at most 100 people in group chats, while WhatsApp can support up to 1,000. Apple is literally designed to be reliant on itself. The contrast in American norms compared to the rest of the world mirrors our weak technological integration with Apple and other platforms. Between the Apple Ecosystems and social trends, we need to stop pressuring ourselves to stick to isolated communication. It’s not harmful to download an app just to talk to others. Just like TikTok or Snapchat, worldwide communication is at our fingertips.
