The comment you replied to is more accurate, as WhatsApp is huge in multiple continents not just in Europe (just not as big in North America as you both point out). For example it's big in South America (and I think Central America too?)

Asia too. Australia too. So again it's the Fahrenheit users being different...

Edit: I looked it up, maybe not Australia...

WhatsApp and FB Messenger are equally popular in Australia.

I'd pre pandemic FB Messenger was definitely more popular but there's been a gradual but noticible shift to WhatsApp since.

"Asia too"

Hmm. China? No -- WeChat. Japan? No -- Line. Korea? No -- KaoKao.

Your logic is missing a couple steps.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/whatsapp-...

I thought in India too, used for payments or something? I remember it's used widely in many places

Yes - I think if you pick a country at random it's more likely to have WhatsApp high on the list of communication tools than not, albeit with some of the biggest countries like China also joining the US in being exceptions).

How much of that due to sms historically being free in the US but cost per-message elsewhere?

That’s definitely the main reason.

It’s also why, briefly, (2008-2010 ish I believe) blackberry phones were the ones kids wanted because they could use blackberry messaging for free without using up their sms credits.

WhatsApp is bundled/zero-rated with cellphones, or cellular network access, if I understand the billboards in South America correctly.

Nope. We use iMessage because we can afford iPhones.

In Europe even iPhone users will preferentially use WhatsApp in my experience.

I have exactly one contact who prefers iMessage over WhatsApp or Signal. The majority use WhatsApp, with Signal being a growing second.

Telegram comes in third place - but mostly that’s used for following “feeds”