One in two people makes phone calls via WhatsApp and similar services.

Published on: September 17, 2018 / Updated on: September 17, 2018 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

+++ One in two people make phone calls via WhatsApp and similar apps +++ One in two sends voice messages +++ Sign language: Emojis +++ WhatsApp usage continues to increase +++

One in two people makes phone calls via WhatsApp and similar services.

Messengers have already replaced SMS as the transmission method for text messages, and traditional phone calls are also facing competition: According to a survey by the industry association Bitkom, every second user of WhatsApp and similar services also makes phone calls using their messenger.

Even more popular, at 70 percent of respondents, is sending pictures, videos, GIFs, or links, and of course, actual texting (85 percent). Messengers are also used with less popular contacts: 17 percent report having blocked contacts in the past three months. Furthermore, most users primarily use mobile chat programs for private purposes: only ten percent report having contacted companies via messenger.

You can find more infographics at Statista.

One in two people sends voice messages

Generations Y and Z, and generally "young people," don't like talking on the phone. They prefer writing endless messages in messenger apps with lots of emojis and smileys – or so the common stereotype seems to be. And indeed: people don't talk on the phone as much anymore, but they don't necessarily type either. Voice messages are the communication method of choice for many right now.

As the graphic shows, two-thirds of 14- to 29-year-olds have sent voice messages in the last three months – the number decreases with increasing age. Overall, one in two respondents in the study by the digital association Bitkom sent voice messages via messenger.

You can find more infographics at Statista.

Sign language emojis

More than two-thirds of messenger users use emojis when writing their messages. The biggest fans of these little pictures and symbols are 14- to 29-year-olds: 86 percent stated in a survey by the industry association Bitkom that they use smileys, flags, or animal emojis in their messages.

Most respondents find emojis funny, and almost half find the symbols helpful. However, for ten percent, it's the other way around: they find the colorful characters amusing, and another five percent are simply annoyed. According to the survey, an average of two emojis are used per message.

You can find more infographics at Statista.

WhatsApp usage continues to increase

While SMS usage is declining in Germany, WhatsApp usage is trending in the opposite direction. It's safe to assume there's a connection. Currently, 65 billion messages are sent daily via the messenger service. That's ten billion more than in the summer of 2017.

You can find more infographics at Statista.