That's a good point actually. The unique key that whatsapp uses to identify and link users (their phone number) is quite ingrained most people and it seems their user map is built without mutual consent. That is to say if person A has person B in their phone book there will be a link even if person B doesn't have the person A's number or indeed use what's app.
Facebook just bought WhatsApp for $16 billion!
- Thread starter Kid_Eternity
- Start date
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
So, anyone suggest an alternative?
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
Same, but it's only a few of them and I can always send texts. There's no way I'm giving my info to FB. Fuck that.
mwgdrwg
Be a Pisces. Jam.
Lazy Llama
Suburban robots that monitor reality
From the people I know who use WhatsApp, most of them are BBM refugees. They wanted the social group they had on BBM but wanted it on better handsets than Blackberry. The decline of BBM and rise of WhatsApp should give some idea of how transient the messaging business is. I remember when ICQ was the best IM service.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
mwgdrwg
Be a Pisces. Jam.
Yep. WhatsApp basically started off as a BBM clone, then took over when Android/iPhone won.
Anyway, I have WhatsApp and BBM on my phone, and I use both about the same amount. BBM is much the better messaging service.
BBM is out for Android and iPhone, for those that didn't know.
editor
hiraethified
Shut up please.LOL and if Google bought it you'd be saying this was the best thing since sliced bread!
editor
hiraethified
Yep, and that's what makes it a totally different proposition to Facebook taking over a photo app.My heart sank upon just seeing this headline, even if nothing changes to the functionality of the app, surely all the data (addresses, friends, all conversations) WhasApp will now be mined, dissected, analysed and stored by Facebook in their personal file that they have on me. </tinfoil hat>
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Facebook are stupid..... you can download whatsapp for free
You pay a dollar a year after the first year, tbf. Still, even with 1 billion users, 19 years before you see a return on your investment, not taking into account lost interest/inflation.
Madness.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Unless you fill it with ads.
sim667
All aboard the 303 bus.
Ive had it for over a year and dont recall ever paying them anything.
TruXta
tired
Or sell the user data.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
Just been fiddling with Google Hangouts. Nice, but needs a G+ account to send media. Booo.
editor
hiraethified
Hangouts is really good. Better than WhatsApp in some regards, but I don't know that many people on it.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
Yeah, but I'm not signing up for G+, no matter what, so pointless. I only want to be able to send photos and stuff without having to use MMS.
Fez909
toilet expert
Everyone with an Android phone has Hangouts, don't they?
I just message people on it (using their Gmail account) and then they see the notification and are surprised, ask me what it is, etc. Then they carry on using it.
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
I'd have ended that coversation with "yeah, well as your mum knows there's some things facebook can't afford, like her liposuction"
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
what's whatsapp?
TruXta
tired
What's up?
Kid_Eternity
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Looks like these guys really made out well from this, Google tried to buy them for 9 billion less and crucially no seat on the board.
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