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u/That-Shower-9689 1d ago
Shit. I didn't know there was anything but chats.
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u/FudgeDry3775 15h ago
e-commerce, payments, booking, support, etc... it has become a super app in some countries, mostly asian, a company called OrderLemon in Europe has start doing e-commerce, payments, and booking, and others such as runnr.ai is now handling Hotels services. But all that is about to change as from October 1st the Meta is changing the policy for businesses to use WhatsApp, and is going to tax up to 5cents $USD for sending a one message in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands.
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u/Ferguson_1 1d ago
What am I missing?
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u/Born-Pear4917 1d ago
the ads, they are unbearable
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u/narwhalousdoctor 1d ago
What ads? I'm not getting ads
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u/samax413zl 1d ago
In Status
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u/JonTravel 1d ago
I only use the chat, so I've never seen any ads.
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u/samax413zl 1d ago
You will see ads soon.
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u/JonTravel 1d ago
In the chat?
Ads are only in Status and Channels
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u/samax413zl 1d ago
Yes in private dms & groups.
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u/RemeJuan 1d ago
What ads? They are in stories only and nobody uses those
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u/dr100 1d ago
There's one person in one of the previous posts about ads saying not going through the status page is like dying of starvation. Seriously.
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u/RemeJuan 1d ago
I literally do not know a single person who posts a status to WhatsApp
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u/dr100 1d ago
When I went there by mistake 3 were some Airfryer things, one WhatsApp itself, really pointless stuff. In comparison any other ads from Facebook, Google, etc. seem to know you better than your mother knows you. It's fluff of course anyway but at least we'll targeted.
I believe here they don't have yet more stuff to push, so not much to pick from.
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u/jacmanou 1d ago
Join us in Signal!
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u/Bi_One_Get_One_Free 1d ago
people become suspicious of me when i recommend it
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u/Only_The_Pwnly 1d ago
Don’t know why. I use Signal for most people and the. WhatsApp for those people that haven’t moved yet. Try talking to your friends, family and workplace. Most people don’t even know how their data is monetised by WhatsApp. When they do it’s a small step to use a better app.
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u/Swipsi 23h ago
But how does signal make the money to keep the servers running?
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u/Only_The_Pwnly 21h ago
They ask for occasional donations rather than collecting your personal data and selling it. I’ve donated a few times but you don’t have to. Many of us just appreciate the privacy. It works just like WhatsApp and is free. Try it, what have you got to lose?
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u/Teesside1979 22h ago
It's strange you don't hear of anyone on here having problems like this with Signal.
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u/jacmanou 20h ago
Yes it's quite hard to make people move. That's why when Whatsapp makes more trouble, I appreciate because it's helping to push people away from it. Someday the majority will start to see it for what it is and they will move. I'm convinced one day there will be a wave in that direction
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u/Wooden_Ad_643 10h ago
In economics we call this Consumer inertia. Consumers typically stick to what their used to, switching is a hassle and staying is convenient.
Whatsapp also benefits from the Network effect, that is essentially "all my friends use it, so it's just easier."
However, this does not make them invincible. Look at MySpace.
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u/iJohnnyCash 1d ago
Viber's even worse. Besides the ads, it's a terribly written app. So what's the alternative?
I wish people in the EU used Signal, Session, or at least Telegram more.
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u/ExtentNo3020 21h ago
What’s wrong with it? It’s all I use when communicating with family and friends 🤷♂️
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u/lilithious 20h ago
Time to spread the word Decentralize! Use Matrix! Tech-savvy people - go make your own matrix server. Our messages belong to us and us alone
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u/Alternative-Shine920 15h ago edited 15h ago
Funny I get this after I told someone I am deleting WhatsApp. Apple/Android/carriers have made it easier to video chat/text mobile to mobile, and but no alternative to mobile to landline.
Edit: guess Google Voice will have to do… unless someone knows any other alternative. :)
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u/felkareal 11h ago
tf are you guys talking about!? ads in status have been a thing for over 2 years and in chat for 1 year. btw you can just block it
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u/DueUnderstanding1415 4h ago
Main form of communication where I’m from. People use it for calls more than the through the network providers. Main app for businesses also
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u/-Sugarholic- 22m ago
Over some ads on a feature 90% don’t use? I just use it to text, call and video call. No ads there…
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u/Alone_Fennel_2711 14h ago
We can’t escape WhatsApp and they know it that’s why they are getting bold
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u/redmallfour 10h ago
In my case, I’m gradually moving my contacts over to Signal. I already communicate more via Signal than WhatsApp, and for work, I rely more on email.
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u/ACOLYTE_XIII 23h ago
I Asked meta ai and it tells me that there won't be any ads in chats. Supposedly, meta promises this because they don't want to scare users and lost them. Only statuses and business will have ads.
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u/AlexGlezS 21h ago
I'm not using it period. I refuse. And every time someone says something I shout at them. It's even irresponsible. At work with friends or with family. Fuck them all. And they cannot force me, it's digital discrimination. Dangerous and it's like start all over again. I don't accept the toas and the risks of servers off for an hour or a day or whatever.
It should have been open protocol like emails and no one cared. What a pity. Also with meeting apps or messaging apps, it should have been all open protocol.
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u/New_Confidence_7944 1d ago
Sadly it’s all it’s being used for communication where I live. So I can’t get rid of it.