Whatsapp spoiling the face of Windows Phone 8(.1)

[Reebs Reebs]

Which means there'd be fewer people on WPC whinging about WhatsApp? Hmm... might be worth it.



So what do you want or expect Microsoft - or WPC for that matter - to do about it? Go clobber the developers until they submit? Pay them off?

If the WhatsApp developers don't want to support Windows Phone there's nothing anyone can do about it except the WhatsApp developers. And the best way to NOT change their mind is to dump the platform for one with a better WhatsApp app; that will only insure that WP doesn't get features, updates, or a well supported app.

Well, no one expect WPC to do anything about it, but they can certainly feature an article about the lack of features and stability of the most used messaging app in the world right now. Something titled "The 19 billion dollar messaging company can't get its WP app to be worth a buck" or "WhatsWrong with WhatsApp on WP".

Also, you know how always the front page article end of an open ended question? They could ask, "so WP fans, why do you keep up with this crap?"

WhatsApp is always being defended on WPC.. So I wouldn't expect that.

 

[Pierre Blackwell]

I would have to agree with the consensus of the crowd and say that I haven't experienced really any issues on Whatsapp either using the 920 or 1520. Most of the issues are common across the spectrum of devices and ecosystems. However most free mms/sms services are easily accessible and can easily upload your current contact database. I also use Kiki, and Viber. If it's too hard for your social network to download another simple sms app, then you might be better not talking to them...jk. Seriously it shouldn't be that big of a deal, and with Facebook heavily involved you can best believe WP will ensure they maximize the utilization and integration.

 

[Pierre Blackwell]

As for the backgrounds...windows phone has never been known for messaging backgrounds. I don't look at that as a performance flaw. Maybe a customization limitation, but that's it.

 

[Markham Ranja]

Just updated to 8.1 & as expected.. Notifications are broke. So people have gone back to txting to reach me since I'm not replying to whatsapp quick enough..

If anything, the delay in updates could hurt whatsapp more than microsoft/windows phone.

I will not be switching platforms just for an app.

Lol @ whatsapp more than WP

WP controls 3% of global smartphone marketshare. EVERY user of WP could leave Whatsapp and they probably wouldn't even notice.

And it's much more than an "app". It's become a mini social network in and of itself. Why do you think FB paid $19B?

 

[Markham Ranja]

Well, no one expect WPC to do anything about it, but they can certainly feature an article about the lack of features and stability of the most used messaging app in the world right now. Something titled "The 19 billion dollar messaging company can't get its WP app to be worth a buck" or "WhatsWrong with WhatsApp on WP".

Nobody would really care. May be worth a laugh to Zuck, though

Also, you know how always the front page article end of an open ended question? They could ask, "so WP fans, why do you keep up with this crap?"

WhatsApp is always being defended on WPC.. So I wouldn't expect that.

Because WPcentral users (most of them at least) are not full-time MS employees and have friends/family etc, with whom they would like to stay in touch? Whatsapp is basically ubiquitous in some of Europe and most of APAC. It's the only way I have to keep in touch with my friends and family who are in many different locations.

 

[raycpl]

yes whatsapp is very popular, everyone uses it. But if its not on WP its not the end of the world... there are alternatives. There are always alternatives, that's how any OS grows...

 

[Chregu]

yes whatsapp is very popular, everyone uses it. But if its not on WP its not the end of the world... there are alternatives. There are always alternatives, that's how any OS grows...

For me there's no alternative. I could make my friends using another messenger if I asked them very nicely, but in Switzerland everybody is using Whatsapp, I can't expect hundreds of people in my address book changing to another messenger.

After the recent 8.1. update with the battery improvements the high power consumption of the app doesn't bother me that much anymore, but I have bugs that are really annoying. Also, as many have stated, the app is generally in a terrible state.

 

[ShreyansShah]

For me there's no alternative. I could make my friends using another messenger if I asked them very nicely, but in Switzerland everybody is using Whatsapp, I can't expect hundreds of people in my address book changing to another messenger.

After the recent 8.1. update with the battery improvements the high power consumption of the app doesn't bother me that much anymore, but I have bugs that are really annoying. Also, as many have stated, the app is generally in a terrible state.

just today, discussion was going on regarding a new phone to be gifted to my Father in Law. my wife and her sister both suggested to gift an android phone, as his current phone, a WP, is not good with Whatsapp and due to that, he has stopped using Whatsapp. he uses Lumia 710 (WP 7.5), in which Whatsapp is pathetic.

 

[iamtim]

WPC ... can certainly feature an article about the lack of features and stability of the most used messaging app in the world right now ... They could ask, "so WP fans, why do you keep up with this crap?"

And what would happen if they did? NOTHING. Because if the amount of WhatsApp whinging that already exists on WPC hasn't convinced the developers to build a better app, another article or post or poll isn't going to do it either.

 

[Chregu]

And what would happen if they did? NOTHING. Because if the amount of WhatsApp whinging that already exists on WPC hasn't convinced the developers to build a better app, another article or post or poll isn't going to do it either.

They did that just recently.

WhatsApp is broken for Windows Phone 8.1 and there's no fix in sight | Windows Phone Central

 

[Saksham Sharma]

WhatsApp is in a terrible state, yes. But looking at the beta's features, it is set to change soon. Most of the user annoyances have been addressed. (no i haven't tested it, i remember the wpc articles). Keep hope, they're not sleeping (well actually they are =P), the update should be out really soon now, wp8.1 is officially selling now (630 India), maybe they'd remember its time now to push out that update.
Possibly they're fixing the 8.1 broken issue, and that's what's taking time.

 

[iamtim]

They did that just recently.

And... to my point... what's happened because of it? NOTHING. Just more WhatsApp whinging on WPC.

 

[Chregu]

And... to my point... what's happened because of it? NOTHING. Just more WhatsApp whinging on WPC.

I wasn't specifically answering to you, just a general addition

 

[raycpl]

For me there's no alternative. I could make my friends using another messenger if I asked them very nicely, but in Switzerland everybody is using Whatsapp, I can't expect hundreds of people in my address book changing to another messenger.

After the recent 8.1. update with the battery improvements the high power consumption of the app doesn't bother me that much anymore, but I have bugs that are really annoying. Also, as many have stated, the app is generally in a terrible state.

Everyone here in Malaysia uses Whatsapp too, including me, but everyone has more than one messenger app on their phone (eg WeChat, Viber, FB, Line, Skype, even the occasional Telegram etc etc) .. the message is more important than the messenger. Just my two cents,,,,,

 

[Citizen X]

OK. Here's why I totally agree with OP. My wife loved how my 925 looks and she hates Google's privacy policies, so she decided to get a 925. She HATES WhatsApp and tells me that she would like to go back to Android if WhatsApp isn't updated in the next couple of months.

I see her point. We heavily rely on WhatsApp for communicating with our family and friends back home and coming from Android, the WP version SUCKS. I put up with it because I'm a bigger fan of MS to leave WP because of it. Others don't necessarily want to keep up with it especially if that's a major reason why they have a smart phone.

Here's what's wrong with it:

• • Unreliable messages delivery
  • When typing, the keyboard covers 80% of the screen and one can only read 2 messages (partly because MS' keyboard is oversized, and partly because WhatsApp has a bottom row to always visible to attach a file and access settings.
  • Ugly interface
  • NO differentiation of contacts by color. Meaning in a group chat, every contact doesn't get their own color to quickly differentiate them. You would have to read the name on each message
  • If you share a photo from chat -> to camera the photo taken doesn't keep the original ratios (very annoying)
  • Lack of miscellaneous functionality that honestly won't bother me if they're not added, but there are a few and I'm sure others listed many of them.

Well your complaints are more style and feature requests. They are not bugs and they are certainly not things that make the app unusable for the majority of people. I think people really need to separate feature requests from broken core functionality.

Unreliable message delivery is certainly a serious bug but as has been said numerous times in this thread there are many of us that are not experiencing that to any great degree. I would say 98% of the time my messages arrived instantaneously. And my friends on iOS mention on the very rare occasion that they also get a message notification late.

I don't think people are making up bugs but this hysteria where people claim the app is 100% broken needs to stop. Many of us are using the app quite happily with few issues. Something is definitely up but let's keep this in perspective.

 

[Saksham Sharma]

Well your complaints are more style and feature requests. They are not bugs and they are certainly not things that make the app unusable for the majority of people. I think people really need to separate feature requests from broken core functionality.

Unreliable message delivery is certainly a serious bug but as has been said numerous times in this thread there are many of us that are not experiencing that to any great degree. I would say 98% of the time my messages arrived instantaneously. And my friends on iOS mention on the very rare occasion that they also get a message notification late.

I don't think people are making up bugs but this hysteria where people claim the app is 100% broken needs to stop. Many of us are using the app quite happily with few issues. Something is definitely up but let's keep this in perspective.

i am not sure what you all mean by unreliable but I've experienced a serious bug with windows phone affecting every messaging app. Sometimes, we get a push notification, but when we go to the app, it wont just get the message, EVER ! I've had to send messages to my friends about 15-20 times saying "send that message again", and they ask "how do know i even sent a message if you didn't get it ?"
Worse, there was an app for which i didn't keep notifications/livetile/lockscreen on. In it too I'd miss messages, and I'd never even know whether a message was to be received or not. Has happened with WhatsApp, hike, viber and nokia chat beta. Is this what you mean by unreliable ? If yes then its the OS's fault.

And apart from minor cosmetic changes, one big thing bothering is the crash on loading old conversations. It certainly makes WhatsApp less good to use for chats i want to keep.

 

[anon(5969054)]

Can you see the two little 'vv' in the chat list in the WhatsApp beta? I would love that. It has been on android forever.

 

[Suds008]

seriously it sucks always crashes...some time takes 6-7 sec to open the app, no stable support as Android

 

[raycpl]

seriously it sucks always crashes...some time takes 6-7 sec to open the app, no stable support as Android

maybe... but I had a colleague with SG.Note3 updating his Whatsapp, .... guess what? Darn thing absolutely bricked. He had to take it back to the shop to reinstall the OS... lost all his data
maybe its a isolated case... whatever

 

[Reebs Reebs]

Well your complaints are more style and feature requests. They are not bugs and they are certainly not things that make the app unusable for the majority of people. I think people really need to separate feature requests from broken core functionality.

Unreliable message delivery is certainly a serious bug but as has been said numerous times in this thread there are many of us that are not experiencing that to any great degree. I would say 98% of the time my messages arrived instantaneously. And my friends on iOS mention on the very rare occasion that they also get a message notification late.

I don't think people are making up bugs but this hysteria where people claim the app is 100% broken needs to stop. Many of us are using the app quite happily with few issues. Something is definitely up but let's keep this in perspective.

I never said that it's 100% broken. Nor did I say that it doesn't work. I'm stating a real life examples of people associating the app with the OS. You and I can separate them from one another but MANY others don't. I gave the example of my wife. Others gave the example of their father-in-law and so on. Your argument is sound for its face value, but nothing beyond. Like it or not, features, looks and feels are 90% of product differentiations in this modern world. Your argument would be worth nothing to someone like my wife who's having a hard time transitioning to WP because of WhatsApp.