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    WhatsApp introduces ads in its app

    (www.nytimes.com)
    713 points greenburger | 12 comments | 16 Jun 25 13:38 UTC | HN request time: 1.756s | source | bottom
    1. perks_12 ◴[16 Jun 25 14:18 UTC] No.44289749[source]▶
    WhatsApp has S-tier status here in Germany. If I had access to a proper API I would pay them per message, without them needing to make their UX worse. If anything, if I had to pay per message, I'd be incentivized not to send too many messages, keeping the distractions for the user at a minimum.
    replies(5): >>44290144 #>>44290299 #>>44293387 #>>44295448 #>>44296381 #
    2. ASalazarMX ◴[16 Jun 25 14:51 UTC] No.44290144[source]▶
    This is why they've been pretty draconian in banning users who work around the official apps and limits. Otherwise, to force their ads they would have to oust third-parties the way Reddit did.
    3. timeon ◴[16 Jun 25 15:05 UTC] No.44290299[source]▶
    > If anything, if I had to pay per message, I'd be incentivized not to send too many messages

    Sounds like SMS.

    replies(1): >>44293169 #
    4. Kwpolska ◴[16 Jun 25 20:35 UTC] No.44293169[source]▶
    Except not limited to 160 characters (70 if you want Unicode) and with rich media capabilities.
    replies(1): >>44293262 #
    5. stonogo ◴[16 Jun 25 20:49 UTC] No.44293262{3}[source]▶
    So... MMS, then?
    replies(2): >>44293767 #>>44294204 #
    6. okdood64 ◴[16 Jun 25 21:05 UTC] No.44293387[source]▶
    > S-tier status here in Germany

    What does this mean exactly?

    replies(1): >>44293528 #
    7. jobigoud ◴[16 Jun 25 21:26 UTC] No.44293528[source]▶
    It's the top tier in tier lists.

    See the image here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tier_list

    Popular format on Youtube, reddit, etc.

    8. djtango ◴[16 Jun 25 21:56 UTC] No.44293767{4}[source]▶
    Why did MMS feel so janky back in the day?

    Was it a client thing or a protocol thing?

    Whatsapp felt so responsive back in the day. I'd be pinging my family in real time halfway across the globe on mobile in 2009. For Free. That was a killer app...

    Why did MMS fail where Whatsapp succeeded?

    9. jeroenhd ◴[16 Jun 25 23:09 UTC] No.44294204{4}[source]▶
    MMS has terrible limitations, in both file size and media resolution.

    RCS has replaced MMS as a protocol back in 2008 and it's only now gaining traction. Many carriers have shut down their RCS infrastructure half a decade ago, though, so they're not exactly jumping on the chance to turn it back on.

    replies(1): >>44294988 #
    10. magicalhippo ◴[17 Jun 25 01:41 UTC] No.44294988{5}[source]▶
    I enabled RCS on my Samsung S21, but had to disable it after a day or two. It just didn't work reliably.

    But yea MMS sucks, would be nice with some common cross-platform alternative that worked well.

    11. sneak ◴[17 Jun 25 03:19 UTC] No.44295448[source]▶
    I live in Germany and manage fine without it.
    12. ale42 ◴[17 Jun 25 06:59 UTC] No.44296381[source]▶
    Isn't it what WhatsApp for Business API does? https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/get-...