14 DAY TRIAL // Canonical is planning to implement Whatsapp and Dropbox services straight into the OS, which would be at a much deeper level than just having the apps installed.
One of the most requested items for Ubuntu Touch is the implementation of Whatsapp and the developers are asked all the time when it's going to happen. The answer is pretty much the same every time, "we're working with Whatsapp to make that happen." Even Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Canonical, didn't want to make any predictions or comments regarding this issue.
Another problem is the lack of proper cloud support. Canonical used to provide cloud space under the name of Ubuntu One, but they decided to drop that entirely. It was a tough decision to make, but Canonical felt that it could put those funds to much better use. Dropbox is the obvious choice and it looks like some things are happening in that direction.
There is no precise time frame in place
Among all the things that have been revealed during the latest Ubuntu insider hangout that took place a couple of days ago, a very interesting piece of information has slipped through the cracks. It's much more interesting than it would seem at a first glance.
According to a blog post by Nekhelesh Ramananthan , one of the Ubuntu insiders, "Canonical are in talks with big services like Whatsapp, Dropbox to help integrate these services within the system rather than with dedicated apps. This reduces the porting costs in bringing these services to UT."
This is much more than what we would expect. If these plans come to fruition, it will be a very big step for the Ubuntu platform, and it would considerably reduce the number of things you might need on the phone. There will always be some users that want a particular app to be ported on Ubuntu Touch, but Whatsapp and Dropbox would take care of a significant chunk of the user base.