Can you trust WhatsApp more than Facebook Messenger? Credit: Google Play store.
When Facebook started pushing Messenger as a stand-alone app, it raised questions. Why force users to change the way they connect with friends?
Facebook doesn’t see it that way. Rather, in a response to TechCrunch, which broke the news in late July, the company described the shift as simplifying the messaging experience:
As we’ve said, our goal is to focus development efforts on making Messenger the best mobile messaging experience possible and avoid the confusion of having separate Facebook mobile messaging experiences. Messenger is used by more than 200 million people every month, and we’ll keep working to make it an even more engaging way to connect with people.
Sounds interesting, right? If only it were that simple.
Hysterical headlines accusing Facebook of overreaching in its data collection practices has marred early reviews of Messenger. Mythbusting has since alleviated some concerns, though it’s obvious that fear remains.
For investors, that leaves an interesting, and potentially troubling, question unanswered: Can the social network convince its 650 million-plus daily active mobile users that Facebook Messenger is safe to use? Or will privacy hawks demand a total switchover to ad-free WhatsApp, which Facebook spent $16 billion to acquire? Let’s review the required permissions for both services, and see if switching would make a difference for users.
According to Google Play, WhatsApp has nearly double the number of reviews — 18.4 million vs. 9.6 million — and scores higher among those using the app — 4.4 stars vs. 3.9 stars.
The variety of permissions Facebook requires for using Messenger is at least partly responsible for the difference. “If they’re not spying on us, then why are they taking away our option to [not] download Messenger,” wrote user “Chris M.”
Would he do any better using WhatsApp instead? See for yourself. The following specifies permissions required for both apps, with the differences highlighted in bold:
Identity
find accounts on the device
read your own contact card
Contacts/Calendar
read your contacts
Location
approximate location (network-based)
precise location (GPS and network-based)
SMS
edit your text messages (SMS or MMS)
receive text messages (SMS)
read your text messages (SMS or MMS)
send SMS messages
receive text messages (MMS)
Phone
directly call phone numbers
read call log
Photos/Media/Files
test access to protected storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Camera/Microphone
take pictures and videos
record audio
Wi-Fi connection information
view Wi-Fi connections
Device ID & call information
read phone status and identity
Other
receive data from Internet
download files without notification
run at start-up
prevent device from sleeping
view network connections
install shortcuts
read battery statistics
change your audio settings
read Google service configuration
draw over other apps
full network access
read sync settings
control vibration
change network connectivity
Device & app history
retrieve running apps
Identity
find accounts on the device
add or remove accounts
read your own contact card
Contacts/Calendar
read your contacts
modify your contacts
Location
approximate location (network-based)
precise location (GPS and network-based)
SMS
receive text messages (SMS)
send SMS messages
Photos/Media/Files
test access to protected storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Camera/Microphone
take pictures and videos
record audio
Wi-Fi connection information
view Wi-Fi connections
Device ID & call information
read phone status and identity
Other
receive data from Internet
read sync statistics
create accounts and set passwords
run at start-up
prevent device from sleeping
view network connections
install shortcuts
use accounts on the device
uninstall shortcuts
change your audio settings
read Google service configuration
toggle sync on and off
modify system settings
full network access
connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi
read sync settings
control vibration
Sources: Google Play profiles for Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.
So, there you have it. WhatsApp doesn’t ask for as much access to your data. Yay? Here’s the thing, Fool: Facebook, like Google, is in the data business, and Messenger is a channel through which it collects information. Some of it will be monetized; some of it won’t.
By contrast, WhatsApp is in the communications business. Facebook benefits if WhatsApp gets more unconnected people to the Internet. There’s no need to ask for permissions because the target audience — or at least the intended audience — doesn’t have as much useful data to share.
When they do, many years from now, Facebook will no doubt ask them to upgrade from WhatsApp to Messenger. In the meantime, it makes sense for the services to co-exist.
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The article Facebook Messenger vs. WhatsApp: Is One Really Worse Than the Other? originally appeared on Fool.com.
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