Updated 16.2.15 If the SMS are dying (or are increasingly being offered in offers), the credit goes to those new messaging smartphone applications which, compared to those of the most recent past such as MSN Messenger, are not linked to a registered account but to the number phone.
This is a significant difference that binds applications such as WhatsApp, Viber and the most recent WeChat which recognize from the user's address book which are the friends who have the app installed, with whom you can therefore text for free (always using an internet connection).
The three most used applications in the world are WhatsApp, the undisputed leader of messages between mobile phones, Viber and the Chinese WeChat .
These three applications, although similar to the base, have many differences and it is worthwhile, then, to see which one is the best and which one is worth using based on 5 characteristics.
READ ALSO: Better apps to send messages to mobile phones: WhatsApp and other free alternatives
1) Supported downloads and platforms, smartphones and operating systems
One important thing to decide which application to use is to check that it is compatible with as many mobile models as possible so as to be sure that it works for us and for friends.
- WhatsApp works on iPhone (iOS 4.3 and above) and Android .
It cannot be kept active on two different platforms simultaneously
However, it is not possible to download it on iPod, iPad or any other tablet of any operating system and not even on iPhone unlocked with Jailbreak (or perhaps it is possible, but without support and optimization).
WhatsApp also works on Blackberry (OS 4.6 and later), Windows Phone 7.5 and above and quite a number of Nokia S40 and S60 models.
WhatsApp is also a paid application that costs 1 Euro for iOS while it is free for one year for the others (then it will cost 1 Euro per year).
Who already has WhatsApp for Windows Phone will never have to pay to use it.
WhatsApp can also be used via the web on a PC.
- Viber works on iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7 and 8, Blackberry OS5 and OS7, Nokia S40 and S60 .
Viber also works on the Bada operating system and the version for Windows and Mac PC that works in parallel with the mobile app has also recently been released.
Viber cannot be installed on Android tablets.
Viber is a free application and without advertisements of any kind.
In addition to messages, Viber also allows you to make free calls.
- WeChat is a newer free application than the other two that works a bit on all smartphone models: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and Nokia S40 .
In addition, WeChat also works with a web interface and as a Windows PC program, so you can chat with friends even from a computer or by opening the WeChat website (but first you need to register from a smartphone).
Web Chat is also useful for sending files to your mobile phone from your computer.
By opening WeChat on the PC there is also a plugin called Web Grab to send web pages from the computer to the mobile phone only by shaking the hand held cell phone.
2) Application functions
- WhatsApp, using the Internet connection, allows you to send text messages, photos, video clips, location data (which open on Google Maps), audio clips, someone's mobile phone contact.
However, voice calls cannot be made, at least for now.
WhatsApp also allows you to make group chats (max: 30) and use many smileys or Emojis.
- In addition to messages, Viber also allows you to perform vocal calls as you would with Skype, free of charge to other Viber users.
With Viber Desktop, you can also make calls from your computer.
- WeChat is the most complete of the three apps and allows not only to send text messages, images, videos, audio recordings, position data, emoticons and contacts, but also to make video calls and to use the mobile phone as if it were a walkie talkie (i.e. you speak one by one in turn).
WeChat is also the only app with some social add-ons that allow you to make new friends randomly, with people detected nearby.
You can even launch messages in the open sea bottle with the Drift Bottle function which can be read by strangers.
If you don't want to use these social add-ons in the settings they can be disabled.
3) Registration, Privacy and Security
These applications use the device's contact list to determine which of the contacts are already using the application so you can immediately chat with them, without asking for permissions.
- WhatsApp requires a valid phone number to register for the service.
When you are registered on your mobile phone, WhatsApp scans the device contacts to determine who is already on WhatsApp so you can send them messages without having to wait for any type of contact approval.
This also means that whoever has my number can contact me in WhatsApp (even if I don't have hers).
However, some annoying contacts can be blocked from the chat settings.
In Whatsapp all contacts can see when we are online, when we connected for the last time and when a message is read (when the double v appears).
See here how to be invisible on Whatsapp and hide the access and reading of messages
WhatsApp works only on one device for each account and if you register from a mobile phone, you are disconnected on the first one.
WhatsApp encrypts sent messages that cannot be easily intercepted by third parties.
- Viber works as WhatsApp in registration and uses mobile number to validate the user.
Viber instantly integrates the contact list of the mobile phonebook into the application and you can immediately see the registered contacts who already have the app installed and who are online.
You can hide the online status or the date of last access in the application settings.
Viber uses Google Analytics to monitor the information of its users.
Still in the settings, data collection can be disabled.
- WeChat also requires a mobile number to register and shows which other friendly users (whose phone number you have in the phone book) have the application.
Unlike the other two, in WeChat you cannot immediately chat with the contacts found, to start messaging with them you must send a contact request that must be approved.
The social extensions of WeChat, allow you to find strangers with whom to chat, even without sharing the phone number, but using the WeChat ID (so you can hide your identity)
There are many privacy options in the application settings.
4) Backup options for storing messages
- On WhatsApp the backup process is different on each device.
However in WhatsApp the chat history is saved on the device automatically on Android, Windows Phone and Nokia.
To transfer all the chat history to another mobile phone (imagine that you have a new phone) you have to do it manually.
On iPhone and Blackberry send the conversation to ourselves to save it.
- Viber has a simple backup function, because every text conversation is a CSV file.
- WeChat has all the backup options to transfer the chat history of the last 7 days to another device without difficulty.
There is no option to export chat history to a file.
5) Popularity
In the end, this is the most important comparison key because a chat application can be as beautiful as we like, but if there is nobody there, we do very little.
Here then is the weak point of a powerful and fun app like WeChat, which, at least for now, in Italy, is used very little.
In my case, out of an address book of 200 telephone numbers, about 50 are on WhatsApp, 7 on Viber and 3 on WeChat.
WhatsApp, despite being paid and although it has fewer functions than the other two, is however the most popular and used in Italy .
WeChat says it has 400 million registered users, only 50 million of them are outside of China (where WhatsApp hardly exists).
However, it must be said that the many TV advertisements (with Leo Messi) by WeChat are making this application known and who knows that users are not growing rapidly.
In conclusion, on the smartphone it is definitely worth installing WhatsApp which remains the main app to send messages and to be contacted by friends.
Viber is useful for making free phone calls via the Internet as you do with Skype, so it remains very important.
Finally, WeChat, in addition to the fact that it can be installed while waiting for other friends to enter, also works to have fun and meet new people .
These three applications are incredible communication tools that will permanently supplant the regular and expensive SMS service.
In addition to these three messaging applications, we cannot forget that there are also free services of three web giants such as Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Skype .
