When it comes to instant Messaging, there are only two major players in the game with all things having been considered and taken into account. The first is Imessage, which has a strong grip on the market due to the iPhone’s universal popularity in the US, and the other is the Meta owned WhatsApp. Apple’s messaging app clearly has a lead, but in spite of the fact that this is the case, WhatsApp has been making considerable ground as of late.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that WhatsApp’s daily active users in America grew by 9% in 2023. Its downloads also increased by 5% year over year, and it should be acknowledged that iPhone users are becoming especially amenable to giving it a try. Does this mean that WhatsApp might soon overtake iMessage in the future?
While Apple is quick to boast about iMessage being the very best messaging platform, it’s not available to Android users. That can be limiting because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up preventing people talking to each other if they don’t have the same operating system on their phones.
On top of all of that, iMessage doesn’t really offer the same support for group chats as WhatsApp, where you can create groups of up to 1,024 users. What's more is that long texts are harder to send through iMessage, and messages containing media are largely restricted as well.
WhatsApp offers certain valuable features along with being compatible with both iOS and Android. This might give it the edge it needs to surpass its competitor, and its business solutions are yet another example of its unique appeal. WhatsApp for Business saw daily active users increase by 80% in 2023.
At the same time, Apple is set to introduce RCS support for iOS, which might make it considerably easier for Android and iOS users to text than might have been the case otherwise. This will be the ultimate test to determine which app will win out in the end.
Read next: Whatsapp RCS, SMS, iMessage: Survey Shows Which Messaging App People Prefer And Use The Most
