Old-school Nokias; the secret to WhatsApp’s success?

Spotted rocking a Nokia E72 and E5, the WhatsApp founders clearly know their audience.

Like you, we’re super excited by the recent media surrounding WhatsApp. The immeasurably popular app has been a staple for Nokia Mobile Phones devices for the past few years, particularly in markets like Africa, India and Latin America. It was just recently that Jan Koum acknowledged the importance of WhatsApps’s partnership with Nokia.

Until very recently, owning an internet-connected mobile phone in many emerging markets was an unattainable dream. But, with development in local mobile network infrastructure and devices such as the Nokia Asha 230 allowing a tech-savvy youth to plug into the digital world, the growth of social messaging can only broaden.

However, taking a step back from smartphones, it’d be foolhardy to ignore the impact that innovation in the low-end has (and still has) in emerging markets.

According to Jana Research, WhatsApp is the most popular mobile messaging App in India, and in Brazil and Mexico – places where feature phones maintain a stronghold.

So, it was with a sagely nod when we discovered  that the two founders of WhatsApp, Brian Acton and Jan Koum, kick it old school with couple of trusted Nokia devices from the past; the Nokia E72 and the Nokia E5.

Now, we’d assume that they also carry the latest smartphones, but evidently they appreciate and understand a global audience. These three-year-old phones demonstrate excellent build quality and reliability; essential in the markets that WhatsApp is biggest in.

Brian and Jan, we’re in full of reverence for you rocking the retro vibe. We’re on the same page that build quality still counts.  Beyond that, we’ve added a few tweaks in our next generation devices including Asha, such as Nokia MixRadio, HERE Maps, and a few other items like Fastlane to make your WhatsApp experience even better.