Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp Messenger: Which App is Better for Travel?
The way we communicate has drastically changed over the last decade or so. Once upon a time, we remembered our friends’ phone numbers by heart — our phones didn’t save them for us. We dialed numbers and made calls to have verbal conversations because texting wasn’t a thing. Today, texting is the norm and billions of people are actively using multiple messaging apps, simultaneously. Here’s a look at two of the most popular messaging apps.
I began using WhatsApp Messenger soon after its initial release in July, 2009 and started using Facebook Messenger as soon as it released in August, 2011 (before they started requiring users to install it). Over the years, I’ve seen an abundance of new features and various impressive UI improvements. I thought I had a clear favorite — until I embarked on a trip to India…
In November 2014, I spent a month in India and the way I used my messaging apps completely changed. Although this may not be the case for all travelers, connectivity was a huge factor for me. Even though I had connection in the major cities, I lost it as soon as I got back to the village where I was staying. It would return sporadically throughout the night, for about a minute at a time. Due to timezones, this was the ideal time to message my friends but it left me frustrated.
I usually prefer using Facebook Messenger over WhatsApp Messenger, and still do, but there was one simple reason why WhatsApp stood out during my time in India.
Why I prefer using Facebook Messenger at home
Audio and Video Calls
It’s simple! You can make audio and video calls with one tap and the quality is great, especially with the new HD. It’s easy to switch between audio and video calls and you have the option to mute your microphone or enable speakerphone. Again, it all takes one tap!
Stickers and Apps for Messenger
Stickers change the way we communicate with one another. When words aren’t enough or aren’t needed, stickers provide the perfect answer. They take emoticons to the next level — they’re seriously fun! New stickers are always arriving in the Sticker Store and they’re always free!
Apps for Messenger bring something fresh and new to regular messaging conversations. All apps for Messenger are easily accessible within any chat. The new Giphy for Messenger is my favorite. You can search through an immense database of GIFs and insert them directly into your conversations.
Here’s Yahoo’s list of 10 Free Facebook Messenger Apps You’ll Actually Want (psst, they published this before Giphy was released).
Chat Heads
Chat heads are the little bubbles that pop up when you receive a message or start a conversation. Some people probably beg to differ but I believe these are really convenient. It’s a great way to continue conversations without interrupting what you’re doing. Most messaging apps require you to view messages in-app, moving your current app to the background. If your current app happens to be YouTube, your video will stop and the messaging app will take front screen. Chat heads don’t do this! It’s a simple, practical overlay design that works on top of your current app, enabling you to view, and reply to, messages without opening the full app.
Location
Your location isn’t sent with every message you send — unless that’s what you want — you can easily enable or disable this feature within any chat, possibly choosing to enable it for some and disable it for others. But, what’s really useful about locations is, you can send an address, along with a map, by entering the address into the location tab (if known), selecting from a list of nearby places, or by searching for the name of the place. Imagine how easily you can arrange to meet at that new restaurant.
Likes
I like the like button (hehe) for a few different reasons. When a message arrives in the notification bar, you can tap “like” without opening the conversation — perfect for those busy moments when you can’t reply but want to acknowledge receipt. The in-app like button is nice because it’s animated (kind of). Holding the button enlarges the like, until it’s too big, causing it to deflate. This “animation” has fun, balloon sound effects.
Notifications
As mentioned above, it’s really convenient to send a response directly from the notification bar (even if it’s just a like). Plus, Messenger lets you control notifications, allowing you to mute notifications for selected chats, while keeping them on for others. You also have the option to turn off notifications for all chats, indefinitely or for a certain amount of time.
Group Chats
All recent conversations, including group chats, are listed (most recent at top) in the recent chats tab. There’s a separate tab for group chats, making it easy to find older groups. And, it gets better! You can pin your favorite groups to the top of the groups tab, giving you quick access.
Other Thoughts
It’s nice that Messenger doesn’t require sharing phone numbers to send messages. Nor are people required to be friends on Facebook, which can be useful at times. After various UI improvements, the current look and feel of the app is simple and clean. The web version of the app is great, especially when you don’t want to type on your phone, the battery is dead/too low, connectivity is low, or your phone isn’t close by. Before Facebook launched the stand-alone Messenger website, you could conveniently log onto Facebook and send messages. Now, you don’t even have to do that. You can go directly to the Messenger website. To top it off, Messenger is completely free, every single version of it!
How I used Facebook Messenger differently in India
Failed Messages
As mentioned, connectivity was sporadic in the Indian village, making failed messages inevitable. But, what happens when a message fails to send? That’s where the problem was. First, Messenger would notify me of the failed message. Then, I’d stare at my phone’s signal strength, waiting for connectivity, only to quickly open up the conversation and select “resend message.” Sometimes this worked, but often, it was too late and the message failed to send again. Come on Messenger, why can’t you auto-send the messages when I’m connected again!?
On a side note, I believe Facebook has resolved this issue. I haven’t experienced the same problem since I’ve been back from India. It appears that Facebook does auto-send messages upon connection now.
In-App Camera Feature
The in-app camera feature isn’t the best because it’s limited in what it can do. There’s no zoom functionality or flash settings. Also, Messenger doesn’t give you a chance to review photos and videos after you shoot them. They’re sent instantly. You can however, switch between the front and back camera, which is useful for taking selfies.
Sending and Viewing Photos
There’s a few different ways to share photos with Messenger, leading to different view options. Here’s a closer look:
How you send photos:
Option 1 — Send a photo using the in-app camera. Choose the camera icon, snap the photo and it’s sent instantly.
Option 2 — Send a recent photo, by choosing the photos icon and selecting the photo you want to send. You have the option of sending it instantly. Otherwise, you can write or draw on the photo before sending it.
Option 3 — Send multiple photos at once by choosing the photos icon and tapping the floating action button. Once you’re done selecting the photos, they’re sent instantly.
How recipients view photos:
— When you send a photo via option 1 or 2 (see above), the recipient receives a thumbnail of the photo, which s/he can enlarge with a tap. While viewing the enlarged image, the recipient cannot swipe to see other shared photos.
— When you send photos via option 3 (see above), the recipient receives thumbnails of all the photos. When the recipient enlarges these, s/he can swipe through all the photos contained in that message.
What this means and why it matters — Recipients can only swipe through images that are contained in one message, whether that’s one photo or five photos. They cannot view photos that were shared in older messages, which can be annoying.
— Luckily, there’s a way to view, and swipe through, older shared images — by tapping “Shared Photos” in the details tab.
— The downside: Messenger only stores the 100 most recent photos.
Why I don’t like using WhatsApp at home
No Audio or Video Calls — until recently
As the heading suggests, WhatsApp didn’t offer audio calls until just a few months ago. Now that audio calling is available, I’ve used it and the quality is pretty good. However, I’m already used to using Messenger for this. WhatsApp still doesn’t support video calling. Maybe it’s on the horizons.
No Location — until recently
Again, as the heading suggests, WhatsApp didn’t allow users to conveniently send location details until just a few months ago.
Group Chats
Group chats aren’t organized into a separate tab, which makes them harder to find. Also, you can’t pin your favorite chats to the top. All chats are organized in one place, beginning with the most recent at the top.
One thing I enjoy is broadcast messaging. It’s an easy way to send a message to multiple people without creating a group. Recipients view and respond to the message in the same way they would a private message.
Other Thoughts
With WhatsApp, you can only send messages to contacts whose numbers are saved on your device. And, recipients always see your phone number — inconvenient when you don’t want to disclose your number. The web version of WhatsApp is a recent addition but it’s not as convenient. You can only login by scanning a QR code. If your phone dies and you’re running late for a meeting, you can’t log on and send a message. Also, WhatsApp isn’t free anymore. Sure, the cost is minimal but who knows if it’ll increase?
On another note, I like the customizable wallpapers and search within chats is an amazing feature! (Facebook Messenger only offers search within chats on the Facebook website)
Why I found myself using WhatsApp in India
Failed Messages
This is the simple thing I mentioned earlier. Sending messages with low (or no) connectivity was seamless with WhatsApp. You send a message, it isn’t delivered, and the app simply waits until you’re connected to auto-send your message. Perfect — this was the most convenient thing while I was traveling! I didn’t have to stare at my phone and wait to manually resend the message.
In-App Camera Feature
WhatsApp’s in-app camera allows you to zoom, switch between the front and back camera, control flash settings, and record videos. Once you’re done shooting or recording, you can review the photo or video before sending it. You also have the option to delete it and try again. If you’re satisfied, you can crop, rotate, or add captions before sending.
Sending and Viewing Photos
Like Messenger, WhatsApp offers a few different ways to share photos. You can select a single photo, or multiple photos, from your device or you can use the in-app camera. The good thing is, no matter how you choose to share photos, once the recipient enlarges the photo, s/he can always swipe through all shared photos, including older ones. The downside — you can only send 10 photos at a time.
The Verdict
The verdict was easy when I first returned from my trip. Despite my love for Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp’s auto-send and image sharing features made it far more convenient in India, and therefore, it took the prize. The only reason I found myself using Facebook Messenger out there was for the audio calling.
A lot has changed in eight months and this isn’t as relevant anymore — it’s a different game now! Facebook Messenger has the auto-send feature and WhatsApp has the audio calling feature, which puts the two in a similar position for use during travel.
Personally, I continued to use Facebook Messenger after my return and still do. I only use WhatsApp for friends who aren’t active Messenger users. I don’t plan on changing this any time soon. I do however plan on trying out Facebook Messenger next time I travel.
I’d love to hear what your thoughts are and why you like one app over the other. Please leave your comments.
