Why Messenger WhatsApp will never outperform

10th birthday: That’s exactly what the Swiss messenger service Threema is celebrating on December 12, 2022. For the anniversary we look back on the success story. One thing is certain: Threema will never overtake WhatsApp – but it doesn’t have to be. A comment.

Happy Birthday Threema! We want to congratulate you on your tenth birthday. We could tell you at length what you have achieved in your life so far and what makes you stand out.

So we could do whatever is done on pretty much every birthday. But that’s not exactly our plan. We just want to take a quick look at your career. Instead, we want to show why you’ll never outrank WhatsApp. And why that is good.

10 years of Threema: The most important facts about the secure WhatsApp alternative from Switzerland

So now for the obligatory part. On December 10, 2012, Threema literally saw the light of day. That means: Since this date, the secure messenger has been represented in the app stores of the world.

The goal of the three young developers from Switzerland was already an “independent short message app that you can use with a clear conscience without having to expose yourself to commercial data collectors or state surveillance.”

User ID, end-to-end encryption, no advertising: That’s what Threema offers

And it was precisely these requirements that the developers then implemented. For example, Threema has end-to-end encryption. Encrypted phone calls are possible, as is registration without a cell phone number or e-mail address.

All groups and contacts are managed directly on the smartphones and not on a server. This creates additional security. In addition, all messages are deleted immediately after they are sent, which means that no meta data are created.

10 million users and 7,000 companies

Where has it all led? After a decade comes the messenger that meets the strict regulations of Swiss data protection “shines” as the ZDF writes, to ten million users in Europe.

There are also over two million users who access the service via the business application Threema Work. Belong to the customers according to their own statements Corporations such as Daimler, Bosch and also many institutional facilities such as schools or authorities.

We don’t need a second WhatsApp!

But enough of the adulation. Why is? And: Why shouldn’t Threema have the ambition to replace WhatsApp? It’s relatively simple: The digital world has always tried to outperform each other since it came into existence.

The best example of this is the competition between social networks. For years, the number of users on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Co. have been compared. Ultimately, the effect was: Facebook – or now Meta – is uncatchable.

It’s not about size, it’s about function

When Twitter (prior to Elon Musk’s acquisition) and Snapchat stopped competing with Facebook and started focusing on their strengths, they both found success again.

It is precisely this perspective that is crucial in the digital world of 2022. It’s not about having the most users. Rather, it is about offering your own target group the best possible product.

WhatsApp and Threema instead of WhatsApp or Threema!

So anyone who believes that all users will turn their backs on WhatsApp and delete the service is dreaming of a utopia. The messenger context is primarily about coexistence and certain niches.

In the case of Threema, two major areas emerge: internal corporate communication and protected communication in areas of application with highly sensitive, personal or health-related data.

Threema has already overtaken WhatsApp

Threema is used wherever data protection and data security are of high relevance. In authorities, youth welfare offices, hospitals, facilities for people with disabilities or even large corporations with trade secrets that should never run on meta servers in the USA.

The messenger from Switzerland already has over ten million users in these relevant target groups. Accordingly, one can only congratulate them on their birthday and hope that the developers never lose sight of their actual task.

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