Messaging apps are probably the most ceaselessly used apps on our telephones. There’s in all probability not a day that goes by when most individuals don’t hear a ding alerting them to a brand new textual content. There’s additionally no scarcity of messaging apps. However with regards to the juggernauts, there are two: Meta’s WhatsApp and Apple’s Messages, the latter of which simply received an enormous replace in iOS 18.
So, how do the 2 apps now examine in 2024? We’ll discover this, primarily based on 5 standards: consumer interface, compatibility, helpful options, enjoyable issue, and privateness & safety.
Consumer Interface
Most customers like their apps to have clear, uncluttered interfaces which can be straightforward to navigate.
Unquestionably, Apple’s Messages app fulfills these necessities. Once you open the app, you’re instantly offered with its minimalist interface, which clearly exhibits an inventory of all of your chat threads. You have got a search bar on the prime and might shortly faucet on any thread to see its contents. Additional, there’s a single + button that opens a menu that permits you to shortly add a photograph, audio message, or location to the chat in a couple of faucets.
WhatsApp’s consumer interface, then again, is extra convoluted. On the backside of the app is a toolbar with 5 buttons: Updates, Calls, Communities, Chats, and Settings. These “Updates” and “Communities” additions could make WhatsApp really feel extra like a social community than a devoted messaging app. As a result of options similar to these are constructed into WhatsApp, the app is of course extra bloated.
Winner: Apple Messages
Compatibility
For a messaging app to be helpful, it is advisable to have somebody to speak with. Which means your mates have to be utilizing the identical messaging expertise as you’re.
That is the place Apple loses some factors. When you’ve got an iPhone, you may alternate SMS and RCS messages with folks on different gadgets with Apple Messages. However you may solely ship iMessages—Apple’s proprietary model of the textual content message—to homeowners of different Apple gadgets, together with iPhones, iPads, and Macs. iMessages (the blue bubbles and all of the cool skills that go along with them) are formally restricted to Apple merchandise.
Apple doesn’t make its Messages app for Android gadgets. Which means if you wish to use only a single messaging app and be capable to reap the benefits of all its options in each dialog, you higher be certain all of your family and friends are iPhone homeowners.
WhatsApp, then again, is offered on each iPhones and Android gadgets. That makes it tremendous straightforward to speak with the total characteristic set of the app with anybody, it doesn’t matter what kind of cellphone they’ve.
Winner: WhatsApp
Helpful Options
In relation to options, each WhatsApp and Apple’s Messages provide lots of the identical. For instance, each apps allow you to ship your location, pictures, movies, and extra with a couple of faucets. Each apps additionally characteristic built-in GIF libraries, so you may simply insert the right GIF into your dialog at any given second.
Each apps additionally assist emoji reactions, so you may shortly slap with a “thanks” palms on their message with out having to actually spell out your appreciation. Each apps additionally allow you to unsend and edit messages—a really helpful characteristic.
However Apple Messages additionally gives some helpful options that WhatsApp lacks, similar to the flexibility to schedule an iMessage to be sent at a later time. WhatsApp doesn’t provide this sort of performance. Apple Messages additionally gives a security characteristic called Check In that permits Messages to mechanically notify your chosen contacts whenever you arrive dwelling on time—or don’t.
But WhatsApp additionally gives some options that Apple’s Messages doesn’t: the flexibility to archive messages, for one. In WhatsApp, you may retailer message threads in an archive, so that they don’t muddle up your foremost chat display screen. That is useful whenever you don’t wish to delete a thread (say, the one together with your electrician), however you don’t continuously must see it in your foremost chat listing, both.
Sure, archiving is an exceptionally fundamental characteristic—however that’s what makes its absence from Apple Messages so baffling, particularly given how helpful chat archiving is. WhatsApp additionally contains another good utilitarian options together with the flexibility to star essential messages so you may simply discover them later.
Winner: WhatsApp
Enjoyable Issue
INSERT ART “applemessagesfun.png”. Caption: Apple’s Messages app gives loads of enjoyable results.
I’m the kind of one that simply likes to ship and obtain plain previous messages with none fluff. Nevertheless, I do know many individuals who like to make use of messaging apps to precise their moods or ship messages with some added pizazz.
And with regards to including pizazz to your messages, Apple’s iOS 18 replace to Messages gives loads. Not solely are you able to daring, italicize, underline, and strikethrough textual content now, however you may add animation results to particular person phrases in your textual content message—like making the phrase develop large or small, making it shake or explode, in addition to making it ripple and jitter and extra.
Different visible flairs you may add embody making a chat bubble present up on the recipient’s display screen below so-called “invisible ink” (however actually, it appears to be like like digital glitter that they have to wipe away to see the message). There are additionally full-screen results you may apply, similar to making confetti rain down on the recipient’s display screen whenever you ship them a congratulations textual content.
WhatsApp lacks any of some of these animated results, so if enjoyable issue is your factor, there’s a transparent winner right here.
Winner: Apple Messages
Privateness & Safety
The nice information is that each WhatsApp and Apple’s Messages characteristic sturdy end-to-end encryption—even for chat backups within the cloud (in the event you allow it). Which means nobody, not even Meta or Apple, can learn your messages.
However Apple’s Messages gives two advantages over WhatsApp. The primary is that WhatsApp nonetheless requires you to present it entry to your contacts in your cellphone if you wish to see the names of the folks you’re texting within the app as a substitute of simply their cellphone numbers. There isn’t any technical cause why WhatsApp must require this. The app permits folks to decide on show names, and it could be easy for the corporate to make these show names the default for what a consumer sees in the event that they don’t grant entry to their contacts.
The second cause is that although WhatsApp and Apple’s Messages are each end-to-end encrypted, that encryption solely helps shield in opposition to right now’s threats—not threats from superior quantum computer systems tomorrow. To counteract quantum laptop threats (quantum computer systems could at some point be capable to break right now’s encryption in minutes), Apple has added post-quantum cryptographic protocol level 3 (PQ3) to Messages. Which means your iMessages right now will nonetheless be protected in opposition to quantum assaults tomorrow.
WhatsApp at present lacks any form of post-quantum cryptographic protocols.
Winner: Apple Messages
WhatsApp vs. Apple Messages: And the winner is…
Primarily based on the above standards, the winner is Apple Messages. The app gives an uncluttered, easy-to-navigate interface, has a number of enjoyable textual content and chat results, and has essentially the most superior safety defending your messages that’s out there right now.
Nonetheless, WhatsApp isn’t any slouch. It has feature-parity with Apple Messages in the entire areas that basically depend, like unsending and modifying messages. It additionally has fundamental options that Apple Messages lacks, like archiving. And its greatest energy will all the time be one thing Apple refuses to supply: cross-device assist. Irrespective of in case you have an Android or iPhone, you may ship and obtain WhatsApp messages.