The WhatsApp CEO was very clear in exposing his idea on Apple. According to him, the company creates limitations or other tricks for users to be wary of other companies, in order to get the better of services and products.
Since WhatsApp belongs to Facebook, the controversy over this application has never been lacking, yet today it remains one of the most downloaded and used apps in the world. In a recent interview, the CEO of Whatsapp indulged in heavy comments against Apple, fueling the diatribe with Facebook.
The interview took place via a Podcast and we start by talking about WhatsApp compared to iMessage. As you know, Apple has recently begun to force all developers to clearly expose which functions an app accesses or uses and in the case of WhatsApp (but also of other applications under the control of Facebook), the list is really long.
In this regard, Will Cathcart commented:
If our privacy labels seem very long it is simply because those of iMessage are not visible. iMessage does not need to be downloaded, it is already pre-installed. The label is present on the Apple website but only on the site and you have to search for it specifically to be able to read it .. always if you find it.
On WhatsApp it says that the application also accesses payment information simply because we use this function in India, for users who want it. Apple has payment features in iMessage that allow users in the US to exchange money via messages, so Apple also accesses payment information. Why does our label say it clearly and theirs doesn’t?
The discussion then continues and Chatcart explains what are, according to him, the reasons for this persistence by Apple against WhatsApp and other Facebook services.
Apple is lashing out at popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger just to engage as many users on its iMessage platform. Because to use iMessage you must have an iPhone, instead WhatsApp and Messenger are built in such a way as to offer the same, excellent, experience on all platforms. It is easier to switch smartphones between iPhone and Android if you know you can use the same applications in the same way.
When people add me to a group on iMessage I get a weird experience. You can’t do anything. It is a strange feeling. If you want to start a group video call you cannot do it.
It is in Apple’s strategic interest that people don’t use WhatsApp or similar apps, because the company doesn’t want other people to use Android.
Personally I own an iPad and an iPhone but I really want to use the smartphone the way most people use it, that’s why I prefer Android. Many people use both or go back and forth between the two platforms without differences, because we are building our products for both, without differences.
What is your opinion on all this? Are you on Apple’s side thinking that its stringent policies are aimed at protecting its users or would you like more freedom because you think these limitations were created only to keep you close to the Apple ecosystem?
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