[speeder]

In Brazil this is a GREAT reason to NOT use it.

In fact phone operators for a while tried to ban whatsapp here, SMS prices in Brazil are just nuts (it is normal for an SMS cost fifty cents or so, sometimes even more, a full SMS conversation can cost you several days worth of food).

Everyone here just uses whatsapp, because of how ridiculous SMS prices are.

[parliament32]

It must be a market difference. Here in north america, SMS is the "default" way you message new contacts, and the majority of chats I have with people are over SMS. SMS is free and unlimited on virtually every phone plan available.

[freehunter]

Yeah I see the statement a lot on international forums like HN and Reddit of "SMS is still a thing? No one uses it!" But it's highly cultural. I only use WhatApp for two friends in Europe. Most of my friends here in the US use Facebook Messenger for our group chats. My iPhone-using friends use iMessage, but if I'm communicating with an Android-using friend, it's just plain SMS. I prefer more robust platforms but I also send hundreds of plain SMS messages each month. It's just easier than trying to figure out if they're on WhatsApp, Messenger, Signal, Discord, Telegraph, Hello/Allo/Duo/etc... everyone has SMS and everyone has a phone number so it's the lowest friction way to communicate.

That's what I love about these forums, is getting the cultural experiences of other people and finding out they're not always the same as your experiences. Very eye-opening.

[Shorel]

People still use SMS? At least in Colombia no one ever writes an SMS. For the same reasons.

[robertfw]

I don't see why it would be a reason not to use it. Just don't set it as your default SMS app.