Several other applications serve the same purpose as WhatsApp. (Representational)
WhatsApp users across the globe were unable to send and receive messages for around two hours on Tuesday as the platform witnessed one of its biggest outages. The disruption started just after noon before the services were restored at around 2 pm.
More than 2 billion users rely on WhatsApp for communications and payments and the outage affected many of them. However, it isn't the only messaging platform. Several other applications serve the same purpose and can come in quite handy in such situations when WhatsApp goes down.
Telegram, an instant messaging application, can be an alternative to WhatsApp. The cloud-based platform is free and uses encryption to protect users' data. Like WhatsApp, you can make groups on Telegram as well. It also allows users to share big media files of up to 2GB each.
Signal can also be effectively used as an alternative to WhatsApp. The application boasts “state-of-the-art end-to-end encryption” promising better privacy and safety of data than its competitors. It has many features similar to WhatsApp. These include voice calls, video calls, disappearing message functions, and in-app payments. The application is available for free on both Google PlayStore and App Store.
Google Messages allows users to share texts as well as exchange media files just like WhatsApp. The application is integrated with other Google services on your phone that allow you to share photos directly from the Google Photos library.
Viber is another application which provides a free and secure messaging facility along with other features. Users can make voice and video calls and also group calls through the platform. Viber also runs on desktops that can serve the purpose of WhatsApp Web. Besides, this, one can also exchange fun tickers and media files on the platform.