Whatsapp most popular amongst chat apps

Chennai: 2013 has undoubtedly proven to be the year of virtual chat with more than 90% of smart phone users busy texting each other using some app or other. In fact, Whatsapp has emerged as the most popular app among Indians with virtually every second cell phone customer using the app.

Instant messaging has become the killer app on mobile as smart phone adoption has grown across the globe and the Indian scene is no exception. Three out of every four smart phone user in India is now high on mobile chatting making the market a lucrative one for chat app companies.

Whatsapp reigns supreme among mobile chat app with about 76% of smart phone users in India using it to text each other, revealed a recent study on smartphone usage in India by Informate Mobile Intelligence.

Google products such as Google Play, Google Search, Gmail, Googlemaps, Youtube, Google hangouts are the most sought after apps of 2013, the study said.

Though 2013 saw a number of chat app brands including WeChat, Line, BB messenger for Android etc, Whatsapp leads the category.

These chat apps have already undermined cell phone carriers’ traditional SMS text messaging, which are reported to have declined for the first time in 2012, Mumbai-based senior telecom analyst said.