[ishaanbahal]

> Right, I'm that way too. But the rest of the world basically chose to download another app instead.

> So that's what I wonder about -- why did the US not bother, but the rest of the world did? What was different about the US?

Not sure about the rest of the world, but India specifically, has more whatsapp users because we have more Android users. iPhone is considered more of a luxury here, even now and with millions using android devices, ios users do end up downloading a common app that everyone has. Also helped by the fact that there's no standardisation of message apps in android, though Google messages is trying RCS, more than half the phones don't ship with Google messages, even the close to stock ones like OnePlus have their own implementation, so a third party became standard for even android to android communication.

[eertami]

The UK has a lot of iPhones but WhatsApp is still the default messaging app.

[arrrg]

Still substantially fewer as compared to the US.

I think you have to switch your assumptions around. The cross platform solution of a communicator should be considered more likely to win out in a competitive duopoly.