>I have to spend hundreds of dollars upfront to buy a phone
But the phone doesn't have to be bought from Facebook, whereas with iMessage you have to pay Apple for a phone.
>maintain a phone line to use WhatsApp.
I wonder what the reason for this is. Maybe to reduce spam? Data collection?
But I get to choose who to pay - and most people already have a phone.
maintaining a phone line doesn't cost hundreds of dollars a year
Re:Apple News No Longer Supports RSS
by culturestate on Friday December 27, 2019 @10:31PM
(#21896881)
> ...WhatsApp isn't free. I have to spend hundreds of dollars upfront to buy a phone...
WhatsApp works reliably on a staggeringly broad list of devices. You can get a supported phone for, like, $20 and stick a $5-per-month prepaid SIM in it (many of these plans in low-income countries specifically come with WhatsApp allowances) and be connected.
Yea that’s not free
Re:Apple News No Longer Supports RSS
by culturestate on Saturday December 28, 2019 @02:39AM
(#21897693)
WhatsApp is as effectively free as it can be within the segment of the population that needs or wants it.
This is like arguing that free Wi-Fi isn't "free" because some people only use ethernet. If you don't already own a compatible device, you aren't their customer anyway.
WhatsApp doesn't provide an API so I could use it on my existing laptop over WiFi for free (the WhatsApp web requires it to be setup on a phone first).