[outime]

>It's really not as hard as it seems

Only on HN could someone post a take like this without getting laughed at. Outside our very geeky HN bubble, hardly anyone (let's say in Europe, but all my friends in the US use it as well) uses anything other than WhatsApp. There's literally zero reason for the average user to switch.

[AnthonyR]

Haha I love the super out of touch takes on here sometimes. Not using WhatsApp or Facebook where I live absolutely introduces major difficulty to communication and even every day interactions where almost 100% of communication in various social groups is happening on these platforms. Should I ask them to move?

[jjulius]

Where there's a will, there's a way. If your friends want to, they'll find you.

[NamlchakKhandro]

I'm not on what's app. So you need to switch to something else if you want to chat with me.

[isolatedsystem]

I'm in Europe, with a bunch of non-geeky friends, coming from all walks of life who have Signal installed.

As a sibling comment to yours stated, the hardest decision was deciding to stop using Meta.

I have a militant "let the leaves fall where they may" attitude towards stopping relationships with companies I detest (Microsoft, Amazon, Meta...) It all always works out fine.

[TFNA]

I travel a lot within Europe and socialize, and Signal adoption is pretty limited continent-wide. You are lucky. Even when people do have Signal, a stock response if I ask “Do you have Signal?” is “Oh, sure, I use it to buy drugs”, which probably doesn’t help the app’s image in the eyes of the surrounding society.

[wyclif]

WhatsApp as the only contact point is a pretty strong signal that the user is from a developing world country. I'm not from that part of the world, so I don't use WhatsApp.

[rahkiin]

If you count -all of europe- as a developing country, sure.

In europe we never had free unlimited texts. Internet was cheaper than calling/texting, especially with everyone having wifi at home and work. So a cross-platform messaging app appeared and has replaced text and calling.

[KoftaBob]

> we never had free unlimited texts. Internet was cheaper than calling/texting

I always found this peculiar, you would think it would be the other way around. I wonder why that is?

[wyclif]

Sure, it's not airtight. WhatsApp is popular in Europe. But as an American, when I see somebody say "You can only contact me on WhatsApp", it's not exactly a green text bubble signal.

[Synaesthesia]

The entire rest of the world is not just 3rd world countries.

[bee_rider]

I’m pretty sure it is extremely popular almost everywhere except the US (and maybe China? I think they have their own thing). We’re the odds ones out in this case.

[TFNA]

As the other person mentions, WhatsApp adoption is vast in Europe, including the bulk of the continent where “developing world country” isn’t a reasonable label. I travel frequently across Europe, and when I book reception-less accommodation, WhatsApp is often the only way that self-check-in details are provided. Saying that “I don't use WhatsApp” might even lead to the reservation being immediately canceled on their part.

[yonatan8070]

In Israel it's the de-facto standard way to communicate. If I'd even suggest to someone to switch to Signal, I'd get laughed out of the room.

[contubernio]

In Spain whatsapp is universal and necessary for everything personal and professional.

Some hard core committed communists prefer telegram, but even they usually have to have whatsapp too. No one uses signal or even knows what it is.

[prmoustache]

I am living in spain and I never used whatsapp professionally. I've had a few messages sent by medical clinics to confirm appointment, delivery workers to drop a package or some others pros but if you don't have whatsapp they just call you anyway so it is not necessary.

Most people in Spain still rely and prefer voice calls than messages anyway. I believe half the country must still be illiterate as they manage to send voice message but struggle to send written messages on whatsapp.

On a personal level you lose a bit of information when you don't have whatsapp. For example I didn't join the whatsapp group of my dance class and I am often unaware of stuff they mention on it but that doesn't prevent me to attend said classes.

[contubernio]

Absolutely inaccurate. I am nationalized Spaniard living here 2+ decades. Almost no one over 50 calls on the phone and when they do they almost always send a message first. The large public institution I work in is removing landlines completely because they get too little use to justify the cost.

I am (mostly against my will) in multiple professional and personal Whatsapp groups. Use is constant and daily and unavoidable. It is the principal means of communication in both work and personal settings. Calls are always a second option.

I suspect your experience reflects only partial integration in local culture.

[prmoustache]

Removing landline only means people have mobile phones, not how they use them.

I am in andalusia, hardly the most modern area if you discount the migrants that call themselves expats.

[yurishimo]

I think this is a Spanish/Portuguese language thing... I am in some clubs with many Spanish speakers and they love to send voice memos! I am in Europe though so maybe the Brazilians I know have adapted to their European counterparts.