14 DAY TRIAL // The recent WhatsApp privacy changes have caused an exodus to alternative platforms, and while Apple’s iMessage isn’t necessarily a direct competitor given it’s exclusive to iOS users, it’s pretty the Cupertino-based tech giant hopes more people would also stick with its application.
When it comes to video calls, an alternative to WhatsApp is obviously FaceTime, and Apple says the number of users getting in touch with others via this service has increased substantially lately.
And the peak was reached on Christmas when Apple says it recorded a record number of FaceTime calls from Apple users across the world.
“The winter holiday season is always a busy times for us and our products, but this year was unique. We had a record number of device activations during the last week of the quarter. And as COVID-19 kept us apart, we saw the highest volume of FaceTime calls ever this Christmas. As always, we could not have made so many holidays special without our talented and dedicated retail teams who helped us achieve a new all-time revenue record for retail, driven by very strong performance in our online store,” Tim Cook said in the conference call with analysts this week.
WhatsApp privacy policy update delay
In the meantime, WhatsApp is trying to counter the migration from its platform to alternative services with a delay for the new controversial changes. Originally scheduled to go live in February, the privacy update would now come into effect in May, with WhatsApp trying to use the remaining months to make people aware that “nothing is changing for end users.”
The company said on several occasions that sharing data with Facebook and other third parties does not concern consumers, and the updated privacy policy is specifically aimed at businesses who use WhatsApp to connect to their clients.