5 Reasons To Still Use Whatsapp Even After BBM Switches To Other Platforms

In a matter of days or weeks from now, BBM will finally go cross-platform officially. Meaning it will be available on platforms like Android and Apple IOS. It's actually
been long overdue because left to me they should have taken this step a long time ago. Well, here are 5 reasons to still utilise Whatsapp after BBM goes cross-platform.

Whatsapp is not free
Calm down, I know most persons(including me) love free things. But I prefer whatsapp cos it's not free. CEO, Jan Koum hates ads. He believes ads interrupts the user experience, and I agree with him. It's never nice to see ads pop up and interrupt your chat. The amount of money(N200) paid after a year for using the service can't be compared to your privacy and peace of mind.  BBM will be free also right? Well, we can’t be sure it will stay free for long. Don't forget that the sale of Blackberry devices keep the company afloat . The major reason why Blackberry are offering to go cross-platform with BBM is that they hope the move will stir up a renewed interest in their devices. Should this gamble not pay off in the future, Blackberry may be forced to either monetize BBM or scrap it completely from competing platforms. Hmmmm!

Whatsapp has a wider reach
Some of us have never thought of that. Whatsapp is available on 7 platforms – Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Blackberry 10, Blackberry 4.6 and above, Symbian Belle and  Nokia S40. Last time I checked, Whatsapp has over 200 million active users monthly, sending and receiving over 20 billion messages a day. Only BBM comes close with 10 billion messages a day.

Whatsapp has a better user experience
Prior to BBM 10 release, the BBM user experience was 'just there' in my opinion. BBM 10 has seen some remarkable improvements to the user experience but, a high percentage Blackberry users don’t own a Blackberry 10 device, so permit me to pit the older BBM against Whatsapp here
BBM interface is jam-packed into one screen – groups (which I never visit), status updates, chats, invites and all my contacts muddled up on one screen. 'Smh'. On Whatsapp, the default  tab lists only my recent chats. Should I want to view more – favourites, status updates, profile pictures et all – I switch over to another tab. As Leonardo Da Vinci once put it: ”Simplicity is the utmost sophistication”. Whatsapp’s interface might be very simple, but it is very sophisticated.

Whatsapp is cheaper in the long run
How you get BBM in the 3 steps:

1. Buy a Blackberry device for no less than N30,000;
2. Get BBM free;
3. Pay no less than N1,200 a month to use BBM. Doesn’t matter if you’ll only use it a few days in that month, hehe.

How you get Whatsapp in 3 steps:

1. Buy any device of your choice, even for as low as N8,500.
2. Get Whatsapp free, pay less than N200/yr after that.
3. If you can’t afford a data bundle or will not chat very often, use your regular airtime and chat to your heart’s content.

Which would you rather use? The one where you can reach a wider range of people, on a budget? Or the one where your reach is limited and you end up spending more? hmmmm!

Whatsapp can do everything BBM does
There are only 2 features BBM has that Whatsapp doesn’t – real-time voice calls and live screen sharing. Whatsapp has voice messaging but it’s not in real-time. However, to use BBM’s real-time voice calls, you must have access to Wi-Fi. How many average Nigerians have access to Wi-Fi in their homes? Interestingly enough, these voice calling and screen sharing features will not be available on BBM for Android and iOS.

Considering all these, I ask, “what edge will BBM have over Whatsapp when it finally launches on these platforms?” What is BBM bringing to the table that will convince one to switch? I'll welcome your views.