(The
Standard P.3 30 Jan 2013) The days of free use of the popular social media tool
WhatsApp Messenger may be numbered.
The software developer has started informing Android
phone users in Hong Kong they will have to pay 99 US cents (HK$7.72) each year
if they want to continue using the application.
The fee will also apply to Blackberry, Windows and Nokia
phone users. They get free service for one year, after which their credit cards
will be charged the fee annually.
WhatsApp, which provides unlimited free text messaging,
has long been a top-selling application in dozens of markets, including the
iPhone Apps Store, Google Play for Android users and the Blackberry market.
For iPhone owners, the policy to pay 99 US cents once
will remain for now, with users allowed to download the app as many times as
they want for the same Apple account.
There are between 100 million and 500 million Android
users, according to Google's webpage. Thousands have, since the announcement,
flocked to complain on the webpage.
One
Samsung Galaxy S3 owner was angry, saying the fee was discriminatory(差別對待的). "This is completely unfair, why should
others enjoy the service after paying the fee once, while Android users have to
renew their subscriptions(會費) every year?" Lo
Yi said.
Another user complained his service was suspended (中止) even with seven
days remaining before his free period expired.
"There is no problem with the fee, but why can't I
send messages seven days before my subscription expires? WhatsApp is completely
wrong on this business practice," said Chu Chun- kwan, who uses Samsung
Galaxy Nexus.
Many others said WhatsApp may not be their future choice for
communicating with friends.
They said Line, developed by Naver Japan Corp, which
allows free voice calls and emoji (表情符號) messages, is an alternative (選擇) as well as WeChat (微信) of Tencent (騰訊).
WhatsApp founders Brian Acton and Jan Koum, both veterans
of Yahoo and based in Santa Clara, California, have written on their blog that
they are charging users because they do not want to sell ads.
Candy Chan
Using WhatsApp Messenger to contact with their friends, relations and co-workers that is very common in their social networks, users enjoy texting wherever they are on the way or having meals.
回覆刪除I interviewed some of my friends that what they did at first when they got up. Almost of them said they would check WhatsApp Messenger immediately. Some said if they forgot to bring their mobiles when they went out. They would be inconvenient.
This morning my colleague told me that she was deeply tired as she had been wakened up by the voice of her group of WhatsApp messenger early that morning. I was surprised to hear that there are more than 100 members in her group of WhatsApp Messenger.
Although using WhatsApp Messenger is convenient and easy to inform others, most users spend too much time on text messaging. They should use it in a right and balance way.
I believe that lots of users will continue to use WhatsApp Messenger even though it won’t be free of charge for them in the future.
Shirley Yip