which mobile messaging apps rules the middle east nations

In this post we look at the most dominant and popular messaging apps across MIDDLE EAST  and GULF COUNTRIES 

Iran :Telegram  leads as the number one spot in Iran.Meanwhile  Viber was the dominant messaging app used for text messaging and cellular calling in Iran. However wave of negative opinions rose against Viber regarding the countrie’s data security. Soon more server conflicts appeared which caused Viber users to switch their daily text messaging app to WhatsApp, Line and later Telegram. It was at this time were Telegram users grew to a point which is now the main messaging app Iranians use. WhatsApp is mostly used by those who communicate with contacts in foreign countries which is a small percentage comparing to Telegram users in Iran. With Telegram’s social media functionalities, it has also become the most popular social media platform for IRAN

Turkey:WhatsApp ;WhatsApp  remains the most popular mobile app messaging platform app across Turkey . Facebook Messenger app is also very popular among the younger generation. Turkey’s rising internet and telecom infrastructure has driven many users to these apps in the past 6 years. Turkcell, Turkey’s largest mobile network also developed its own messaging app for its network subscribers called BiP. After WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, BiP could be considered as the third most popular messaging app in Turkey. 

Egypt: WhatsApp .Whatsapp remains the most popular messaging app of choice in a nation of   80 million  Like Turkey, Facebook messenger as second popular in Egypt. WhatsApp’s users in Egypt are usually the ones that do not have a Facebook account, hence using WhatsApp as the app of choice.

Iraq: Telegram .Along with Iran Telegram is also the dominant messaging app used in Iraq as it has become popular with the youth lately. The app has gotten more popular in the past 12 months. Facebook messenger is also popular with the younger generation along with  WhatsApp and Viber Viber is the number one  the app of choice for cellular calls. 

Saudi Arabia :WhatsApp : In Saudi Arabia  Whatsapp has always been numero uno messaging app platform . Back in the 2013 during the  Arab spring  revolution messaging apps like Viber got banned because they couldn’t blend in with the Saudi laws. Skype over cellular network and WhatsApp calls are also banned in the country.The country's  high internet penetration rate,makes it a lucrative market for other social media giants like snapchat which is  the second most popular messaging/social media app in the country. Line is also another app that is widely used and has  become popular for internet calling lately. 

 Gulf Council Countries :Whatsapp is the number one mobile app across  GCC countries which includes UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan) :Facebook messenger and Snapchat are also the other popular communication apps across these nation.However  some of these countries like UAE also have strict regulations towards some of these apps. WhatsApp call and Skype via Cellular internet are also banned in the UAE which caused some of the residence to download IMO for cellular calls. 

 Lebanon, and Jordan. Whatsapp leads across these 2 nations .However  across the  GCC countries, popularity of Snapchat is much lower. Facebook messenger is widely popular among the youth however the number of messenger app users does not exceed more than the two country’s whatsapp users. Viber is mostly used for internet calling rather than text messaging in these countries.

source:via