Voice Messages and Messaging Platforms

So I was under the assumption no one really used the voice messages feature on messaging applications like WhatsApp. I thought that most people just texted their messages, sent pictures, or sent the occasional video.

I admit, I did use Voxer for a good week or so with a select group of 3-4 people. It was more of a novelty and brought tons of nostalgia with its walkie talkie-like sounds and feel. Then, I just naturally went back to the standard text messaging (SMS and Hangouts).

My parents immigrated from China and are illiterate in English for the most part and limited in their literacy of Chinese (due to the lack of educational opportunity). My parents started using WeChat messenger (very popular messenger client in China). But they weren't using the application like I would with messenger applications. They have been using it as a voice messenger as they struggle to comprehend technology quickly.  That is when you know when the user experience is done right, when someone who is essentially illiterate can use the application with ease. It's not the most quiet form of communication but it's certainly better than nothing. It's definitely something that has improved their communication with their friends. It seems that voice messaging and video chatting is more popular with the illiterate/limited literacy population than those who have the ability to text.

Now, WhatsApp is getting rid of their $1/year subscription model because markets that they want to grow (I presume China/India) don't often have methods of payment. So how will WhatsApp create profit for its owners? The $1/year subscription probably wasn't making them much anyways; they were operating at a loss as of 2014.

So why did Facebook buy WhatsApp for $19 billion? No one exactly knows, but we can speculate to get to the areas where they have users where Facebook did not. It's about getting to as many users as possible at this point (then monetizing it). WhatsApp is quickly approaching one billion users. With that many users, it won't be difficult to generate massive revenue.

In addition to messaging, China's WeChat offers stickers/emoticons, international calls, payment services, and other services (e.g. calling for a taxi, setting up appointments) for money (they also have advertisements). WeChat is much more of a platform than WhatsApp is currently, but I suspect WhatsApp will move into a bigger platform. They have said to be moving into changing how businesses communicate to their customers (but it isn't new, since Facebook attempted to mainstream it).

It will be very interesting to see how Facebook will manage Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Maybe they will duplicate functionality and try the similar features to the different audiences. Facebook Messenger is definitely growing as a platform with payment services, integration with Uber, and many more applications joining in.

It's definitely not surprising seeing companies trying monetize messaging application as it is the most often used application on phones. It's only natural to offer services in the application people use most to communicate with. An added benefit to this will be the need for less applications (particularly ones that have one or two functions).