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WhatsApp introduces ads in its app

(www.nytimes.com)
713 points greenburger | 2 comments | 16 Jun 25 13:38 UTC | HN request time: 0.423s | source
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andrepd ◴[16 Jun 25 14:00 UTC] No.44289568[source]▶
Would be nice if these kinds of articles would at least take a paragraph to plug some alternatives, such as Signal.
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laurent123456 ◴[16 Jun 25 14:04 UTC] No.44289607[source]▶
As always network effect will be the problem. I know plenty of people on WhatsApp and almost nobody on Signal
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1. AlexandrB ◴[16 Jun 25 14:13 UTC] No.44289698[source]▶
It's a problem but not insurmountable. Otherwise we'd all still be using ICQ/AIM/MSN Messenger/Skype/etc.
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2. blitzar ◴[16 Jun 25 14:17 UTC] No.44289737[source]▶
We are off those because of multi messanger platforms made switching to the "hot new thing" very low friction. It was only once mobile came along that the playing field narrowed so much.

Current networks have way more lock in than back in the day.