WhatsApp is a cross-platform messaging service that is available for a variety of platforms.  When you install this app, the service is free to use for one year, after that, you need to cough up $0.99 per year to continue using the service.  If you think about it, it’s a really small price to pay for being able to connect with your friends and family, as it doesn’t add additional charges to your phone bill by using data plan, or if you have access to WiFi, then that would be even better.

Best of all, WhatsApp doesn’t have a catch –  no additional charges will be made, so you can send a million messages to other WhatsApp users if you want to.  The app has gotten so popular that some ODMs have made it a point to incorporate the app on their devices.  Nokia’s Asha 210 has a dedicated WhatsApp button, and WhatsApp has just launched on the BlackBerry platform as well.

So what does WhatsApp have that has users and ODMs going gaga over it?

Basic features

The iOS, Android, Nokia, Windows, and  BlackBerry devices all support sending of multimedia such as videos, photos and voice notes; Group Chat; no international charges; no need for PINs  and usernames; logging in or out; no need to add buddies as WhatsApp finds your contacts using the app; offline messages are stored and you will receive them when an internet connection is once again established; location sharing; custom notification sounds; e-mail chat history; and broadcasting messages to many contacts at once.

Different platform, more features

Though WhatsApps for any platform basically does the same thing, there are some features that aren’t available in some platforms like on BlackBerry.

The iOS and Android app has additional features such as the ability to exchange contacts, custom wallpapers, landscape mode, message timestamps, and broadcasting messages and MMS to many contacts at once.

But the BlackBerry version does support blocking of contacts, and that’s a definite perk for many users.

Why isn’t it free for life?

As mentioned earlier, the service has a one year free trial period, after that, you pay for the service, but it only costs $0.99 per year.  Still, I’m sure some of you are wondering why you have to pay for this awesome app right?

Here’s the deal: there’s no ads.  The WhatsApp guys don’t sell ad spots to brands, so users won’t have to suffer by having to look at ads while using the app.  For me, that’s well worth 99 cents per year.