Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit".
But Whatsapp works based on a phone number or at least it can send messages to others by finding them through a phone number. So technically it should be possible to replace it without others even noticing.
Whatsapp is a platform, not just a replacement messaging app. You can look someone up by phone of Facebook too, but that doesn’t mean you can choose how to message them or that they could receive a message without using the platform. Or maybe I’m not quite getting what you’re saying.
I’m not that familiar with Whatsapp, so i don’t fully know it’s capabilities.
The only time I’ve used it was through a phone number to send the other person a few work related pictures and by the limited description of friends used as an replacement messaging app when traveling abroad.
Though yeah if it has something more behind it. It’s more understandable why it’s harder to replace it.