10 million Texas users turn to WhatsApp as divide between iPhone and Android emerges

WhatsApp, the world’s most popular private messaging service, is gaining traction among Texans – especially as the struggle of group messaging across different phones heats up across the country. In the U.S., WhatsApp has seen double-digit growth in both daily users and messages sent on the platform, and more than 10 million Texans now use the app as a way to stay in touch with friends and family anywhere – regardless of what device they use.

With so many people from all over the world calling Texas home, the importance of communicating with friends and family is uniquely international in Texas, and Texans are leaders in utilizing the best tools for seamless communication across devices and borders.

I was born in Nigeria, raised in Texas, and now live in California, so I know how challenging it is to stay connected with friends and family all over the world. At the end of the day, staying close to those who matter to you is most important, and the tools you use to communicate should help you do so seamlessly and privately – not create a divide that hurts your relationships.

The struggle of cross-device communication is something that many Texans are feeling, too. According to new research commissioned by WhatsApp, more than half of Texans report a noticeable divide between people who consider themselves "blue bubble" people (iPhone users) and "green bubble" people (Android users). Notably, 72% of San Antonians believe there is a blue vs. green bubble divide - one of the highest percentages of any city and 14% higher than the national average. Compared to other cities, such as Seattle (43%), San Antonians are feeling the divide more than elsewhere in the country.

Further, 60% of Houstonians believe that this divide drives issues in society. This is significantly higher than what you find elsewhere in the country where only 40% of Denverites and 43% of San Diegans feel that impact. Texans are feeling this divide every day. In fact, 26% of Austinites have a family member they talk to less because they don't have compatible devices, and 11% of Dallas Apple users would not go on a second date with someone who has an Android device to avoid turning the chat from blue to green bubbles. It is no coincidence that Texans are using WhatsApp to connect with family and families instead.

So what exactly about cross-device communication is so frustrating? Americans want message reactions to appear the same for everyone involved in the conversation regardless of the device being communicated on. 34% of Texans said the most hated part of cross-device communication is photo or message reaction, aka when you receive a ‘Liked Photo’ or ‘Exclaimed Photo’ message in place of the reaction. Likewise, people expect videos sent to appear full-sized and high-resolution. 27% of Texans say videos being set as a thumbnail-sized video via SMS (green bubble) as the most hated part of cross-device communication. Not to mention the privacy risks of SMS texting.

WhatsApp provides a superior cross-device experience: group messaging tools such as controls and polls, high-quality group video calling, reactions, and HD photos/video sharing that works with everyone. And unlike other traditional messaging apps, WhatsApp uses default end-to-end encryption for all personal messages, so conversations are always private. That means no one can read your messages, not even WhatsApp.

To highlight this divide, WhatsApp brought the Modern Family cast back together to showcase the struggle of large group messaging on different types of phones who then collectively making the switch to WhatsApp to put an end to the disruption and come back together.