With its acquisition of WhatsApp and the separation of Facebook Messenger into a standalone app, Facebook has established a dominant place in the chat and messaging markets in both the US and Western Europe.

According to a whitepaper report by Mobidia in partnership with ABI, Facebooks various apps give it a strong position in terms of user numbers and engagement in both the US and Western Europe, despite the differing approaches to chat in the two markets.

In the US, Facebook and Facebook Messenger have a considerable lead over the nearest competitor, with 68 per cent of mobile users considered Monthly Active Users (MAUs), and those users averaging over 700 minutes per month on the app. Instagram, also owned by Facebook, showed around 300 minutes per user per month on average, with less than 30 per cent of mobile users counting as MAUs.

WhatsApp, while only used regularly by 10 per cent of mobile owners in the US, demonstrated good engagement, with the average user spending over 350 minutes per month on the app.

In Western Europe, WhatsApp takes the lead, with Facebook Messenger just behind it. 73 per cent of mobile owners are MAUs, spending 612 minutes a month (or roughly 20 minutes per day) in the app, while Facebook reaches 60 per cent of users, for approximately 500 minutes per month.

“In addition to native communication applications leveraging carrier voice minutes and SMS plans, consumers have turned to third-party applications for a variety of reasons,” said Sam Rosen, practice director at ABI. “We see an evolution in communication, driven by device and service capabilities. This evolution is generally additive in the short term, with consumers adding new tools into their habits.”

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