What Are Messaging Applications?
No longer just for people to talk to people. Your consumers want to talk to you via their messaging app.
Messaging applications; an overview
A messaging application is an app you download on your phone or tablet that is used to communicate with other people. Some examples are:
- Facebook Messenger
- Line
- Viber
- KiK
- Telegram, and more.
Historically, messaging applications were used for people to talk to other people. More recently they've become popular for people to talk to businesses and for business to talk to people.
The ubisend mobile messaging platform allows you to send messages to people via the messaging applications they choose to use.
Applying to and using messaging applications with ubisend
To use a messaging application to talk to your customers, followers or fans you have to apply to the company that owns the messaging application. Most have specific requirements and all have different rules. As an example, some allow you to send commercial messages, others forbid it.
The application and approval process is also different for every messaging application.
We have created step-by-step guides on how to apply and begin using each messaging application.
Cost of messaging applications
Most messaging applications don't charge businesses to send individual messages.
Some charge a flat fee to setup or a monthly charge, others are completely free to use.
Only one we know of charges per message sent.
Popularity of messaging applications
Messaging applications tend to spread in a social and viral nature. This means that countries around the world tend to favour one messaging application over another. Some are very popular in Asia where others are much more popular in the USA. A good example is WeChat and Facebook Messenger. Facebook Messenger is popular in the USA and WeChat in China.
According to Statista, in 2015 these were the most popular messaging applications around the world, based on Monthly Active Users (MAU).
| Messaging application | MAU |
| 1.5 billion | |
| Facebook Messenger | 800 million |
| QQ Mobile | 603 million |
| 600 million | |
| Skype | 300 million |
| Viber | 249 million |
| Line | 211 million |
| KiK | 200 million |
| Nimbuzz | 150 million |
| SnapChat | 100 million |
| Chaton | 100 million |
| BB Messenger | 91 million |
| Telegram | 50 million |
| Kakao Talk | 48 million |
| Hike | 15 million |
ubisend works hard to maintain API connectivity to as many messaging applications as possible.
If you'd like help deciding which messaging application to use to communicate with your subscribers just get in touch. One of our guys or gals will talk you through country specific statistics.
