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Best 5 WhatsApp Alternatives for Android Phones and Tablets

Updated on November 11, 2015
Whatsapp like Android Apps
Whatsapp like Android Apps

Best Android and iPhone Apps like WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the world’s most popular Instant Messaging service. There are many Whatsapp alternatives available for Android phones and tablets. Some of these IM apps are immensely popular. Selecting a top few among these is not a piece of cake. After careful considering we have selected fice apps which are the best replacement for WhatsApp. Though this article is for Android phone and tablet users, these apps are all have multi-platform supports.

Facebook Messenger

The Messenger app of Facebook is immensely popular because of the huge user base of Facebook. You can guess its popularity from almost 17 million user ratings. It is similar to WhatsApp. You can send messages, photos and files. You can only chat with the Facebook buddies. You can make free calls via network. There are options of sending voice recordings too. Messenger also supports groups. You can create shortcuts of any conversations on the home screen. You can use other apps while using the messenger. There will be a floating ball with the profile photo of the person with whom you are chatting.

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Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger

Skype

Skype is well-known for video calling facility. It is very popular for a long period of time. There are almost 250 million users of the Skype service. Besides video calling Skype is also a messenger. Skype is most popular among the internet marketers as an instant messenger. Like other IM apps you can also share your photos and voice. You can also make cheap local and international calls if you buy Skype credits.

Skype
Skype

Google Hangouts

What is special about Hangouts? Well, it is a Google product. It is integrated with Android from the KitKat version and so it is now gaining popularity fast. Hangouts is a complete messenger and so it integrates both IM and text messaging. There is also video calling and voice calling facilities. It is actually the messenger of Google Plus.

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Google is trying hard to make Hangouts popular.
Google is trying hard to make Hangouts popular.

BBM

BBM stands for Blackberry Messaging service. There are millions of users who use BBM. The strongest point of BBM is its security. It is almost impossible to hack and that is why important persons and celebrities all use BBM. It is an always on service and so you can use it without opening the app. The messages can be retracted in it. There is an option of sending timer pictures and messages with certain time settings. Such messeges and pictures will be auto delete after a certain period of time. You can opt out from messaging and so anyone with your contact can not message you if you do not want it.

In BBM, you can know that your messages has been delivered and read by “D” and “R” signs. Your location can be seen live on a map powered by Glimpse.

BBM is from Blackberry
BBM is from Blackberry

Viber - An App like WhatsApp

Viber is one of the best WhatsApp alternatives for Android phones and tablets. It has gotten about 7 million ratings from the users! Like WhatApp it also auto detects the contacts with Viber accounts. You can make free voice calls and HD video calls with other Viber users. There is an option named Viber Out which allows users to call the other numbers. This service can be used to make cheap phone calles.

You can also play games with Viber characters Violet and Legcat. A Viber group chat can have 100 participants. Viber is famous for its sticker market from where you can get thousands of stickers to share.

Viber is a popular Whatsapp alternative
Viber is a popular Whatsapp alternative

Conclusion

The popularity of an IM app depends upon its popularity! Yes, such social services need a lot of users to be popular. So, if a particular IM service is not used by your friends, most probably you will also not be interested to use it. It is because, without users base all the slick design and plethora of features are useless. The above mentioned apps all have such large users. So, it is very much possible that your friends sure use one of these services.

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