- Advantage
- 1- Free
- 2- Does not show advertising content
- 3- It offers various services
- 4- End-to-end encryption
- 5- Allows sharing multimedia content
- 6- Import phone contacts
- 7- Available for various operating systems
- 8- Shows the status of the messages
- Disadvantages
- 1- Addictive
- 2- You cannot cancel the sending of a message
- 3- It requires to be updated every so often
- 4- Requires sharing the phone number
- 5- It cannot be used with people who do not have WhatsApp
- 6- It can take up a lot of space
- 7- It can slow down the other functions
- 8- It does not work without Internet
- References
There are many advantages and disadvantages of WhatsApp. It is advantageous because it is free and favors privacy, but it can bring disadvantages given the need to constantly update and the requirement to share the phone number.
This application is available for smartphones, tablets and also for computers, thanks to the WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Desktop innovation.
Through this platform you can send text messages, images, videos, gif, voice notes and audios. Voice and video calls can also be made.
The WhatsApp platform was developed by Brian Acton and Jan Kourn, who used to work for Yahoo Inc. Since its launch in 2009, this application has become one of the most popular instant messaging platforms.
This application is free and available for many operating systems: Android, iOS, Blackberry OS, Windows, Symbian, among others. This has increased the popularity of it
The ease of use of this application and its many advantages have made hundreds of users, from children to the elderly, prefer it over other instant messaging services.
Despite all the benefits it offers, WhatsApp also has some downsides. The main problem with this platform is that it is addictive for its users.
Advantage
1- Free
The WhatsApp application is free. It can be downloaded in the virtual store of the operating system that the device has (for example, in the Android PlayStore) without having to pay any type of fee.
In addition to this, WhatsApp does not charge for the services it offers: you can send messages and make unlimited calls without any problem. It is only necessary to have an Internet connection.
2- Does not show advertising content
Unlike other applications, WhatsApp does not display advertisements. This represents a great advantage from different points of view.
First of all, the WhatsApp platform is much faster than other messaging services by not having to load this advertising content.
Added to this, it is fun for users not to be bombarded with information that may not interest them.
3- It offers various services
The WhatsApp platform offers a wide variety of services: instant messaging, voice and video calls, voice notes and uploading of multimedia content.
4- End-to-end encryption
Messages, images, and audios sent within a chat are protected with end-to-end encryption.
This encryption consists of a protection system for the privacy of users that ensures that messages are read only by the telephone number to which they were sent.
In addition to this, the application offers different levels of privacy. For example, it allows users who are not registered as contacts to be unable to view their profile photo or personal information.
5- Allows sharing multimedia content
In WhatsApp you can share different types of multimedia files: from images to audio files and videos.
6- Import phone contacts
WhatsApp imports the contacts directly from the device on which it is installed.
In this way, it is not necessary to save the users in the application one by one: the platform does it automatically.
7- Available for various operating systems
WhatsApp is compatible with different operating systems: Android, Windows, Blackberry OS, iOS, among others.
In addition to this, the platform has extended its services and now there is the web version and the desktop version for computers. It works on Windows versions higher than 8, and with MAC OS X 10.9.
8- Shows the status of the messages
This application shows the status of messages regarding the sending process. If the message has a clock in the lower right corner, it has not been sent yet.
A gray "check" means that the message has already been sent. Two gray "checks" mean that the message has been received by the other user. Finally, two blue "checks" mean that the message was read.
Disadvantages
1- Addictive
Due to its speed and the benefits it offers, the WhatsApp application is very addictive. This causes users to decrease the amount of time they interact with people around them.
2- You cannot cancel the sending of a message
Once the message has been sent, it cannot be canceled. It can be removed from the conversation, but this will not prevent it from being received by the other user.
3- It requires to be updated every so often
The creators of WhatsApp release updates to the platform every month.
Many of these updates represent notable improvements in the way the application works, but others are cosmetic changes that do not bring improvements to the platform.
4- Requires sharing the phone number
WhatsApp requires sharing the phone number and there are people who prefer to keep this information private.
5- It cannot be used with people who do not have WhatsApp
The WhatsApp application does not allow you to chat with those who do not have this service.
This represents a disadvantage because not all people have a smartphone or any other device compatible with WhatsApp.
6- It can take up a lot of space
Messages, voice memos, and other multimedia files can take up a lot of space in your phone's memory.
7- It can slow down the other functions
By taking up space in the phone memory, the application can slow down the performance of other functions of the device, causing them to stop unexpectedly.
8- It does not work without Internet
The WhatsApp platform does not work without data transfer, wifi or any other internet connection. For this reason, people who do not have this type of connection will not be able to enjoy the services offered by this application.
References
- Advantage and Disadvantage: WhatsApp. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from weebly.com
- Advantages & Disadvantages of WhatsApp. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from linkedin.com
- Advantages and Disadvantages of WhatsApp. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from muchtech.org
- Advantages and Disadvantages of WhatsApp. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from academia.edu
- Disadvantages and Advantages of WhatsApp. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from drawbacksof.com
- The advantages and disadvantages of using whatsapp. Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from online-science.com
- What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of WhatsApp? Retrieved on October 10, 2017, from extracatchy.net