WhatsApp, the highly popular free messaging app, has now landed for Windows Phone 8 devices such as the Nokia Lumia 920 or the HTC 8X. Sadly, Windows Phone fans are disappointed with the app.
Windows Phone 7.5 users have been using the app for quite some time now, but it the app longer than expected to arrive for Windows Phone 8 users.
Nokia, the biggest supporter of Windows Phone, helped design a better optimised WhatsApp for Windows Phone 8. It says that this version is “a version that is properly optimised for the latest Windows Phone platform experience.”
Windows Phone 8 users have taken to Nokia’s blog to express their feelings about the lackluster app.
One commenter says, “The app is very sluggish, doesn’t work properly and have to constantly go into the app and check messages, also I get messages twice or at times very late, already had the conversation yet it still thinks they are new….needs a fix. Lumia 920 user.”
Another says, “wait this is the “special version” nokia were working with whatsapp on? this is the same poor one that was in the marketplace before. The symbian client was so much better than this.”
Yet another says, “What? It does not even support lockscreen notifications. And compared to the android/iOS version, this version is just a joke. Come on, you can do better than that.”
For the first year, WhatsApp is free. In the succeeding years, it won’t be free anymore. You’ll have to pay an annual fee of $0.99, which isn’t much at all. It’s a popular alternative to ordinary text messaging, which you will have to pay for on a monthly basis. Other than being an alternative to text messaging, it is also an alternative to the BBM (Blackberry Messenger) and Apple’s iMessage. Unlike these mobile IMs, WhatsApp can be used to chat with friends on different operating systems.
Have you downloaded WhatsApp for your Windows Phone 8 device? Are you disappointed with the lack of features? Share your thoughts through a comment on our Facebook page.
